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Updated: May 19, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Development of clinical signs in low risk term born infants with neonatal hyperexcitability
Daniela Leone1, Claudia Brogna, Daniela Ricci
1Paediatric Neurology Unit, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
Background:
Several studies have reported on neonatal tremors or "jitteriness" or, as described by Precthl "hyperexcitability syndrome" including tremors and increased resistance to passive movement.
Aim:
To describe the evolution of signs and the outcome at one year in low risk term born infants with neonatal tremors persisting beyond 10 days.
Subjects:
84 low risk term born neonates with tremors at birth and persisting after 10 days, underwent a longitudinal neurological assessment paying attention to the evolution of tremors and increased resistance to passive movement.
Results:
At 1 month 74 of the 84 infants had persistent tremors, isolated in 27 or associated with increased resistance to passive movement in the other 47. The remaining 10 had isolated increased resistance to passive movement and none had a normal assessment. The percentage of infants with a normal assessment progressively increased at 6, 9 and 12 months (34.5%, 77%, 93% respectively).
Conclusion:
Our data suggest that neonatal tremors can have a variable evolution and rate of resolution, with 70% of recovery by 9 months with a normal outcome at 24 months in all. The risk of persistence of signs (at 12 months) in infants with either isolated tremors or increased resistance to passive movements is lower than in the subgroup with both signs at one month.
