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Head size and motor performance in children born prematurely
Helge Hebestreit1, Waltraud Schrank, Lothar Schrod
1Universitäts-Kinderklinik, Würzburg, Germany. Hebestreit@mail.uni-wuerzburg.de
Insights
Children born prematurely with small head circumference (SHC) exhibit increased oxygen cost during high-cadence cycling. This suggests potential neural control impairments affecting motor performance in these individuals.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Exercise Physiology
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Motor Control
Background:
- Premature birth (PRE) is associated with potential long-term neurodevelopmental challenges.
- Head circumference (HC) can be an indicator of brain development.
- Assessing motor performance in children born prematurely is crucial for understanding developmental outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between head circumference (HC) and motor performance in children born prematurely (PRE) and children born at term (CON).
- To compare motor performance metrics, including exercise efficiency, between premature children with small head circumference (SHC) and normal head circumference (NHC), and term-born controls.
Main Methods:
- Participants included 33 premature children and 21 term-born controls aged 6-12 years.
- Head circumference was categorized as small (SHC) or normal (NHC).
- Motor performance was assessed using neurological examination, whole-body coordination tests (KTK), peak exercise capacity (Wingate, incremental cycling), and net oxygen cost of cycling at varying cadences.
Main Results:
- Premature children with SHC showed no significant differences in neurological status or whole-body coordination compared to NHC peers.
- Peak exercise performance and oxygen uptake relative to body mass were comparable across SHC, NHC, and CON groups.
- Small head circumference (SHC) children demonstrated a significantly higher net oxygen cost of cycling when cadence increased, unlike NHC and CON groups.
Conclusions:
- Children born prematurely with small head circumference (SHC) exhibit reduced exercise efficiency, specifically a higher oxygen cost during high-velocity cycling tasks.
- This finding suggests that impaired neural control of intra- and intermuscular coordination may contribute to the observed differences in motor performance.
- Early identification of potential motor control issues in premature children with SHC is important for targeted interventions.
Purpose:
The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between head circumference (HC) and motor performance in 6- to 12-yr-old children born prematurely (PRE: birthweight < or = 1500 g, gestational age < or = 32 wk) and in children born at term (CON).
Methods:
Thirty-three PRE and 21 CON without an apparent neurological deficit participated in this study. HC was measured on the day of testing and was rated as small HC (SHC, HC more than 1 SD below the 50th percentile of reference data) or as normal HC (NHC). Subjects were examined by an experienced neuropediatrician, and whole-body coordination was assessed by the Körper-Koordinationstest für Kinder (KTK). Peak exercise performance was determined by a Wingate test and an incremental cycling test to volitional fatigue. Net oxygen cost of cycling was measured during four different tasks lasting 5-7 min each. Subjects pedaled at an intensity corresponding to 30% and 60% of peak oxygen uptake ([OV0312]O(2peak)) at a cadence of 36 and 76 rpm, respectively.
Results:
Prematures with SHC showed no statistically significant difference in their neurological examination and whole-body coordination compared with prematures with NHC. Wingate test performance and [OV0312]O(2peak) relative to body mass were similar among SHC, NHC, and CON. In SHC, but not in NHC and CON, net oxygen cost of cycling increased significantly (P < 0.05) when cadence was increased from 36 to 76 rpm.
Conclusion:
At the age of 6-12 yr, SHC have a higher oxygen cost of cycling in exercise tasks requiring high velocity, which might be explained-at least in part-by an impaired neural control of intra- and intermuscular coordination.
