The association between early minor motor difficulties in extreme low birth weight infants and school age attentional difficulties

Early motor signs of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review

ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with onset of symptoms typically in early childhood. First signs of the disorder, including language delay, motor delay and temperament characteristics, may be evident as early as infancy. The present review describes published evidence about early motor signs of either children with later symptoms of ADHD or a later diagnosis of the disorder. Nine published cohort studies were included after a systematic search of related terms in PubMed and PsycInfo databases. Study eligibility criteria included: (1) report on early motor function or any motor-related signs; (2) the presence of a participants' assessment by/at 12 months of age; (3) report of a later presence of ADHD symptoms. The limited number of reports included suggests an association between mild early neurological markers and later developmental coordination disorder and motor overflow movements. Unfortunately, due to their small sample sizes and focus on group reports rather than individuals, they have limited power to find strong associations. Early motor indicators of ADHD, if present, appear to be non-specific, and therefore not yet useful in clinical screening. Spontaneous motility seems to be a promising measure for early ADHD detection, although further studies with large cohorts are recommended to determine its clinical role in children at risk for ADHD.

The early motor development in children diagnosed with ADHD: a systematic review

Although there is limited knowledge about early signs of ADHD, deviations in motor development are suggested as a possible indicator of such early signs. The purpose of the present systematic review was to gather knowledge about motor development before three years of age in children later diagnosed with ADHD. A systematic search was completed in four research databases, and the quality of the identified studies was systematically assessed. Of 440 initial search results, only five studies met the inclusion criteria and were fully abstracted. Major methodological heterogeneity was found between the studies, and the results are pointing in various directions. One study found an association between delay in gross motor development and ADHD, while another did not. However, associations between both good early motor development as well as delayed were also found in one study. A study of premature infants showed no association between early motor development and attention problems at school age, and a study of high-risk children from a neonatal care unit found no association between abnormal general movements and later ADHD without comorbidity. The results of the studies are pointing in various directions. No firm conclusion can be drawn on early motor development in children with ADHD due to the very different results of the studies and the methodological heterogeneity.

Social Cognition in Children Born Preterm: A Perspective on Future Research Directions

Preterm birth is a major risk factor for children’s development. It affects children’s cognitive and intellectual development and is related to impairments in IQ, executive functions, and well-being, with these problems persisting into adulthood. While preterm children’s intellectual and cognitive development has been studied in detail, their social development and social-cognitive competencies have received less attention. Namely, preterm children show problems in interactions with others. These interaction problems are present in relationships with parents, teachers, and peers. Parents’ behavior has been identified as a possible mediator of children’s social behavior. Maternal sensitivity and responsiveness as well as absence of mental disorders foster children’s social development. In this article, we will report on the social side of impairments that preterm children face. The review of the literature revealed that preterm infants’ joint attention abilities are impaired: They are less likely to initiate joint attention with others and to respond to others’ efforts to engage in joint attention. These deficits in joint attention might contribute to later impairments in social cognition, which in turn might affect social interaction skills. Based on these three domains (i.e., problems in social interaction, parental behavior, and impairments in joint attention), we suggest that preterm children’s social cognitive abilities should be investigated more intensively.

Are behaviour problems in extremely low-birthweight children related to their motor ability?

AIM

To investigate whether behaviour problems are independently related to mild motor impairment in 11-13-year-old children born preterm with extremely low birthweight (ELBW).

METHODS

The cross-sectional study included 48 (27 males) non-disabled, otherwise healthy ELBW children (<1000 g) and 55 (28 males) term-born peers. Parents reported behaviour using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). Children completed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Movement ABC).

RESULTS

Extremely low birthweight children had poorer behaviour scores (CBCL Total Problem T score: mean difference = 5.89, 95% confidence interval = 10.29, 1.49, p = 0.009) and Movement ABC Total Motor Impairment Scores (ELBW group median = 17.5, IQR = 12.3; term-born group median = 7.5, IQR = 9, p < 0.01) than term-born peers. Behaviour was related to motor score (regression coefficient 2.16; 95% confidence interval 0.34, 3.97, p = 0.02) independent of gender, socio-economic factors or birthweight. Motor score had the strongest association with attention (ρ = 0.51; p < 0.01) and social behaviours (ρ = 0.50; p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Behaviour problems of otherwise healthy 11- to 13-year-old ELBW children are not related to prematurity independent of their motor difficulties. Supporting improved motor competence in ELBW preteen children may support improved behaviour, particularly attention and social behaviours.

Is there any difference between high-risk infants with different birth weight and gestational age in neurodevelopmental characters?

AIM

This study is aimed to investigate differences between cognitive, language and motor development of high-risk infants related to birth weight and gestational age.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

One hundred sixty high-risk infants who were born 32 weeks, 1 500 gr and below included in this study. According to corrected age, 58 infants were 1 month, 72 were at 4 months, 82 were at 8 months and 65 were 12 months old. Infants were seperated two groups according to gestational age <30 weeks and 30-32 weeks and birth weight ≤1 000 gr and 1 001-1 500 gr. Infants motor development were assessed with Bayley-III Infant and Toddler Development Motor Scale (Bayley-III) and Neuro Sensory Motor Developmental Scale (NSMDA), cognitif and lanuage development were Bayley-III cognitive and Language scales. Assessments were applied by the same physiotherapist at 1 month, 4 months, 8 months and 12 months old infants in corrected age. Mann-Whitney U Test, 2 x 2 Chi-Square test ve Fisher's exact tests were used to compare group data. Statistical significance was determined p<0.05.

RESULTS

Cognitive, motor and language developments were in normal ranges in all infants. There were no statistical differences in cognitive, language and motor development between groups (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Results of this study showed that the motor, cognitive and language development were normal in all high risk infants and power gestational age and birth weight did not affect these parametes.

Effect of preterm birth on motor development, behavior, and school performance of school-age children: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

to examine and synthesize the available knowledge in the literature about the effects of preterm birth on the development of school-age children.

SOURCES

this was a systematic review of studies published in the past ten years indexed in MEDLINE/Pubmed, MEDLINE/BVS; LILACS/BVS; IBECS/BVS; Cochrane/BVS, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycNET in three languages (Portuguese, Spanish, and English). Observational and experimental studies that assessed motor development and/or behavior and/or academic performance and whose target-population consisted of preterm children aged 8 to 10 years were included. Article quality was assessed by the Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scales; articles that did not achieve a score of 80% or more were excluded.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

the electronic search identified 3,153 articles, of which 33 were included based on the eligibility criteria. Only four studies found no effect of prematurity on the outcomes (two articles on behavior, one on motor performance and one on academic performance). Among the outcomes of interest, behavior was the most searched (20 articles, 61%), followed by academic performance (16 articles, 48%) and motor impairment (11 articles, 33%).

CONCLUSION

premature infants are more susceptible to motor development, behavior and academic performance impairment when compared to term infants. These types of impairments, whose effects are manifested in the long term, can be prevented through early parental guidance, monitoring by specialized professionals, and interventions.

Oligodendroglial alterations and the role of microglia in white matter injury: relevance to schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating mental illness characterized by a broad range of abnormal behaviors, including delusions and hallucinations, impaired cognitive function, as well as mood disturbances and social withdrawal. Due to the heterogeneous nature of the disease, the causes of schizophrenia are very complex; its etiology is believed to involve multiple brain regions and the connections between them, and includes alterations in both gray and white matter regions. The onset of symptoms varies with age and severity, and there is some debate over a degenerative or developmental etiology. Longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging studies have detected progressive gray matter loss in the first years of disease, suggesting neurodegeneration; but there is also increasing recognition of a temporal association between clinical complications at birth and disease onset that supports a neurodevelopmental origin. Presently, neuronal abnormalities in schizophrenia are better understood than alterations in myelin-producing cells of the brain, the oligodendrocytes, which are the predominant constituents of white matter structures. Proper white matter development and its structural integrity critically impacts brain connectivity, which affects sensorimotor coordination and cognitive ability. Evidence of defective white matter growth and compromised white matter integrity has been found in individuals at high risk of psychosis, and decreased numbers of mature oligodendrocytes are detected in schizophrenia patients. Inflammatory markers, including proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, are also associated with psychosis. A relationship between risk of psychosis, white matter defects and prenatal inflammation is being established. Animal models of perinatal brain injury are successful in producing white matter damage in the brain, typified by hypomyelination and/or dysmyelination, impaired motor coordination and prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex, recapitulating structural and functional characteristics observed in schizophrenia. In addition, elevated expression of inflammation-related genes in brain tissue and increased production of cytokines by blood cells from patients with schizophrenia indicate immunological dysfunction and abnormal inflammatory responses, which are also important underlying features in experimental models. Microglia, resident immune defenders of the central nervous system, play important roles in the development and protection of neural cells, but can contribute to injury under pathological conditions. This article discusses oligodendroglial changes in schizophrenia and focuses on microglial activity in the context of the disease, in neonatal brain injury and in various experimental models of white matter damage. These include disorders associated with premature birth, and animal models of perinatal bacterial and viral infection, oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) and excess (hyperoxia), and elevated systemic proinflammatory cytokine levels. We briefly review the effects of treatment with antipsychotic and anti-inflammatory agents in models of perinatal brain injury, and comment on the therapeutic potential of these strategies. By understanding the neurobiological basis of oligodendroglial abnormalities in schizophrenia, it is hoped that patients will benefit from the availability of targeted and more efficacious treatment options.

Outcome of extremely low birth weight infants: what's new in the third millennium? Neuropsychological profiles at four years

BACKGROUND

Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants, even those not presenting severe neuromotor sequelae, continue to be at risk of developing multiple, complex disorders involving the cognitive, emotional and behavioural domains. Follow-up protocols are able, in the short term, to identify subjects at risk of developing major sequelae, however they fail to identify all children at risk of developing disorders.

AIMS

To investigate the cognitive, neuropsychological and behavioural outcomes of a sample of ELBW children at the age of four years in order to identify characteristic profiles.

STUDY DESIGN

Longitudinal study.

SUBJECTS

16 healthy ELBW children born in 2005 and followed up until the age of four.

OUTCOME MEASURE

Performances on standardised tests evaluating intelligence, memory, cognitive visual functions, attention, and executive functions.

RESULTS

General intelligence was within normal range. Cognitive profile showed mild or moderate deficits with different levels of involvement in many of the examined functions, in particular executive functions, attention and naming.

CONCLUSION

There emerged a wide-ranging spectrum of weaknesses and deficits involving all the functions examined, which together give rise to a dysexecutive syndrome. Analysis of cognitive profiles showed that the sample could be divided into two subgroups of subjects that differ in the quality of their global cognitive and behavioural functioning. Our results confirm the need to continue follow up of ELBW children until school age, as this will allow early detection of at-risk children and the planning of timely preventive interventions.

Second trimester amniocentesis is not a risk factor for very low birth weight and extremely low birth weight

Objectives. To assess the risk of very low birth weight (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) attributable to second trimester amniocentesis. Methods. Records of 4,877 consecutive amniocentesis, performed between 1997 and 2003, were analyzed. Only VLBW and ELBW in the study population (exposed) and in the control group (unexposed) were evaluated. Comparisons were made between the amniocentesis group versus nonexposed. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated for VLBW and ELBW classes. Results. In the study population, the VLBW were 35 (0.71%) and the ELBW were 20 (0.41%). In the control group, the VLBW were 220 (0.67%) and the ELBW were 112 (0.34%). The Odds ratios of the VLBW between the study and the control group did not show any statistical significant risk (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.72–1.54). Also in ELBW odds ratios between study and control group were not statistically significant (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.7–1.95). Conclusions. No effect of the second trimester amniocentesis was noted on VLBW and ELBW.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia as a predictor factor for motor alteration at 6 months corrected age in premature infants

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) as a predisposing factor for alteration in the psychomotor development index (PDI) in premature infants and verify the incidence of neuromotor alterations at 6 months corrected age. METHOD: This was a prospective cohort study that followed the neuromotor development of 152 very low birth weight premature infants, with psychomotor development index as the outcome. The study used the Bayley Scale of Infant Development at 6 months corrected age, and neurological examination. RESULTS: Incidence of BPD was 13.2% (n=20). Logistic regression analysis showed an association between BPD and altered psychomotor development index (OR 3.98; 95%CI: 1.04-15.1) after adjusting for confounding variables. Neurological examination was altered in 67.1% of the 152 infants. CONCLUSION: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia acted as an independent predisposing factor for alteration in the psychomotor development index in premature infants at 6 months corrected age.

Preterm birth and neurodevelopmental outcome: a review

BACKGROUND

The incidence of preterm delivery and the survival rate of preterm newborns are rising, due to the increased use of assisted reproductive technology associated with multiple gestations and improved technology in obstetrics and neonatology, which allow saving preterm infants at earlier gestational ages. As a consequence, the risk of developmental disabilities in preterm children is high, and clinical pictures need to be fully defined.

METHODS

Narrative review including articles regarding neurodevelopmental disorders published in the international medical literature and reported in PubMed between the years 2000 and January 2010.

RESULTS

Although survival rates of extremely low birth weight infants (ELBW) significantly increased during the last decade, the substantial stability of disability trends in this population was disappointing. Late-preterm infants, who account for about 75% of all preterm births and had not been considered at risk for adverse long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in the past, are now reconsidered as more likely to develop such events, though their risk remains lower than in ELBW.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of the studies discussed in our article support the importance of early diagnosis in order to make decision about appropriate treatment of preterm infants.

Pervasive behavior problems at 6 years of age in a total-population sample of children born at </= 25 weeks of gestation

OBJECTIVE

The goal was to test whether extremely preterm children have more pervasive behavior problems than classroom peers, by using parent and teacher consensus reports. Is there an excess number of extremely preterm boys with behavior problems?

METHODS

A total-population study of all extremely preterm children in the United Kingdom and Ireland was performed. All children born at 90th percentile on parent and teacher reports with a standard behavior scale, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Of the 241 of 308 survivors who responded (78% of survivors), 200 had full reports on behavior problems from teachers and parents; they were compared with 148 control children.

RESULTS

A total of 19.4% of extremely preterm children (boys: 23.2%; girls: 15.6%), compared with 3.4% of control children (boys: 4.6%; girls: 2.5%) had total behavior scores in the clinical range. Hyperactivity (extremely preterm: 30.6%; control: 8.8%) and conduct problems (extremely preterm: 12.5%; control: 5.4%) could be accounted for by cognitive deficits, but attention (extremely preterm: 33.3%; control: 6.8%), peer (extremely preterm: 25.4%; control: 5.4%), and emotional (extremely preterm: 13.5%; control: 4.1%) problems were not explained by poor cognitive functioning. Extremely preterm boys had behavior problems in excess of gender differences found in the control group in hyperactivity, attention, and prosocial problems, and the impact on parents and teachers was greater for extremely preterm boys than girls.

CONCLUSIONS

Pervasive behavior problems are more frequent in children born at the limits of viability than previously reported for larger preterm populations. Extremely preterm boys seem most vulnerable, and the impact on parents and teachers is considerable.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation in child neurology: current and future directions

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a method for focal brain stimulation based on the principle of electromagnetic induction, where small intracranial electric currents are generated by a powerful, rapidly changing extracranial magnetic field. Over the past 2 decades TMS has shown promise in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disease in adults, but has been used on a more limited basis in children. We reviewed the literature to identify potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications of TMS in child neurology and also its safety in pediatrics. Although TMS has not been associated with any serious side effects in children and appears to be well tolerated, general safety guidelines should be established. The potential for applications of TMS in child neurology and psychiatry is significant. Given its excellent safety profile and possible therapeutic effect, this technique should develop as an important tool in pediatric neurology over the next decade.

Twelve-month neurofunctional assessment and cognitive performance at 36 months of age in extremely low birth weight infants

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to investigate whether an early neurofunctional assessment (at 12 months' corrected age) is predictive of cognitive outcome at 36 months of age in extremely low birth weight infants.

METHODS

We conducted an observational longitudinal study. Neurodevelopmental outcome by means of a neurofunctional assessment was evaluated at 12 months' corrected age and 36 months' chronological age in 141 extremely low birth weight children. Cognitive outcome was assessed with use of the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale.

RESULTS

A significant association was found between the 12-month neurofunctional status and cognitive performance at 36 months. A higher general quotient on the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale at 36 months was observed in infants who exhibited normal (score: < or = 1) neurodevelopment compared with children who exhibited minor (score: 2) and major (score: > or = 3) dysfunctions at the 12-month neurofunctional evaluation (99 +/- 6.8 vs 85.3 +/- 16.3 vs 57.3 +/- 22.0). A score of > or = 2 at the 12-month neurofunctional assessment, abnormal brain MRI results at term, and chronic lung disease remained predictive of cognitive delay at 36 months of age and also after adjustment for confounders.

CONCLUSIONS

The 12-month neurofunctional evaluation may be an additional useful clinical tool in predicting later cognitive outcome in extremely low birth weight children.