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Updated: Aug 25, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
[General movements in neonatology]
1Unità Operativa di Pediatria e Neonatologia, Presidio Complesso di Carate Brianza-Giussano, Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedale civile, Vimercate. colombopa53@yahoo.it
General movements (GMs) can be observed in fetus (as young as nine weeks postmenstrual age) and in infants. Without neurological dysfunction, GMs continue in a similar pattern (writhing movements) until the end of the eight week postterm which is then followed by a gradually emerging new pattern (fidgety movements). At an age of about 15 weeks postterm, infants develop gradually other patterns of spontaneous motor activity (manipulation, voluntary movements, reaching, touching, grasping, axial rolling, antigravity movements, etc.). The changes in spontaneous motility and GMs developmental trajectories were good predictors of the neurological outcome. We report the results of our studies in fetal distress and in perinatal abnormalities for the evaluation of predictive value of GMs assessment.
General movements (GMs) can be observed in fetus (as young as nine weeks postmenstrual age) and in infants. Without neurological dysfunction, GMs continue in a similar pattern (writhing movements) until the end of the eight week postterm which is then followed by a gradually emerging new pattern (fidgety movements). At an age of about 15 weeks postterm, infants develop gradually other patterns of spontaneous motor activity (manipulation, voluntary movements, reaching, touching, grasping, axial rolling, antigravity movements, etc.). The changes in spontaneous motility and GMs developmental trajectories were good predictors of the neurological outcome. We report the results of our studies in fetal distress and in perinatal abnormalities for the evaluation of predictive value of GMs assessment.
