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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Preterm and early postterm motor behaviour in low-risk premature infants
1Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Italy.
Insights
This study tracked spontaneous movement and posture in preterm infants, finding their development post-term mirrors full-term infants. Early fidgety movements were noted in preterm infants.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Movement Science
Background:
- Understanding spontaneous motility and posture development is crucial for assessing neurological health in infants.
- Longitudinal data on low-risk preterm infants is needed for comparison with fetal development and neurologically impaired infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally document spontaneous motility and posture in low-risk preterm infants.
- To establish a dataset for comparison with fetal development and neurologically abnormal preterm infants.
- To compare postterm development in preterm infants with that of healthy full-term infants.
Main Methods:
- 14 low-risk preterm infants were videorecorded weekly from birth until hospital discharge.
- 10 preterm infants and 10 full-term infants were observed from 3 to 18 weeks corrected age.
- Off-line analysis of videotapes quantified occurrence and duration of motor patterns and postures.
Main Results:
- Few significant changes in spontaneous movement patterns were observed from birth to term age in preterm infants.
- Postterm development in preterm infants closely resembled that of full-term infants, with significant changes in general movements after initial postterm weeks.
- Fidgety movements emerged earlier in preterm infants; midline head position and asymmetrical tonic neck postures showed similar timing in both groups postterm.
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants exhibit distinct motor development trajectories compared to full-term infants, particularly regarding early fidgety movements.
- Postterm development normalizes spontaneous motility and posture, aligning preterm infants with their full-term peers.
- The study provides valuable normative data for assessing preterm infant neurodevelopment.
Abstract:
The development of spontaneous motility and posture was studied longitudinally in 14 carefully selected low-risk preterm infants. The aim of this investigation was to provide a set of data suitable for comparison with fetuses and with neurologically abnormal preterm infants. The infants were videorecorded weekly, for one hour in a supine position, from birth until their discharge from the hospital. Ten of them were thereafter also observed at home at 3-week intervals from 3 to 18 weeks of corrected age, together with 10 healthy fullterm infants. Occurrence and duration of motor patterns and postures in periods of rest and activity were obtained by off-line analysis of the videotapes. Few significant changes were found from birth until term age in the composition and quantity of the spontaneous movement patterns. Only twitches and stretches during activity periods showed a small decline approaching term age. However, notable inter-individual differences and intra-individual fluctuations from week to week were observed. Postterm development of preterm infants was similar to that of the fullterms. Both showed considerable changes in the qualities of general movements after the first postterm weeks. Only fidgety character movements occur earlier in preterm infants. No age-specific preference postures of the limbs were found in the preterm period. Midline position of the head in supine was observed at about the same postterm age in preterm and fullterm groups. Asymmetrical tonic neck postures were very inconsistently present before term age and rapidly disappeared after term, earlier so in preterm infants.
