Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable
Published on: May 17, 2024
Kinematic measurement of 12-week head control correlates with 12-month neurodevelopment in preterm infants
Jessica P Bentzley1, Patty Coker-Bolt2, Noelle G Moreau3
1Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, SC, United States.
Insights
New kinematic measures of infant head control can predict future motor impairments. Poor head lifting and alignment at 12 weeks corrected gestational age indicate potential neurodevelopmental issues, aiding early intervention for neonatal brain injury.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal neurology
- Developmental pediatrics
- Biomedical engineering
Background:
- Predicting long-term outcomes in neonatal brain injury is challenging.
- Quantitative biomarkers are needed to assess treatment efficacy.
- Kinematic measures from developmental tasks offer potential early objective markers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish reliable kinematic markers of head control.
- To assess head control at 12 weeks corrected gestational age (CGA).
- To analyze head lifting in prone and pull-to-sit tasks.
Main Methods:
- Prospective observational study of 22 preterm infants (24-34 weeks gestation).
- Kinematic analysis of head lifting in prone and pull-to-sit.
- Correlation with Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (Bayley) motor scores and Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP).
Main Results:
- Excellent intrarater and interrater reliability for head angles.
- Prone head lift angles correlated with white matter integrity (NAA/Cho), TIMP, and 12-month Bayley motor scores.
- Pull-to-sit head angles correlated with TIMP scores.
Conclusions:
- Impaired head control (prone lifting, pull-to-sit alignment) at 12 weeks CGA predicts poorer motor outcomes.
- Kinematic head control measures are reliable, objective markers for neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- These markers can identify infants at risk for motor impairment, guiding early intervention.
Background:
Although new interventions treating neonatal brain injury show great promise, our current ability to predict clinical functional outcomes is poor. Quantitative biomarkers of long-term neurodevelopmental outcome are critically needed to gauge treatment efficacy. Kinematic measures derived from commonly used developmental tasks may serve as early objective markers of future motor outcomes.
Aim:
To develop reliable kinematic markers of head control at 12week corrected gestational age (CGA) from two motor tasks: head lifting in prone and pull-to-sit.
Study Design And Subjects:
Prospective observational study of 22 preterm infants born between 24 and 34weeks of gestation.
Outcome Measures:
Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (Bayley) motor scores.
Results:
Intrarater and interrater reliability of prone head lift angles and pull-to-sit head angles were excellent. Prone head lift angles at 12week CGA correlated with white matter NAA/Cho, concurrent Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) scores, and 12-month Bayley motor scores. Head angles during pull-to-sit at 12-week CGA correlated with TIMP scores.
Conclusions:
Poor ability to lift the head in prone and an inability to align the head with the trunk during the pull-to-sit task were associated with poorer future motor outcome scores. Kinematic measurements of head control in early infancy may serve as reliable objective quantitative markers of future motor impairment and neurodevelopmental outcome.
