Association between hemodynamic activity and motor performance in six-month-old full-term and preterm infants: a
Suelen Rosa de Oliveira1, Ana Carolina Cabral de Paula Machado1, Jonas Jardim de Paula1
1Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, School of Medicine, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Insights
Full-term and preterm infants show similar motor skills at six months. However, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) revealed distinct brain activation patterns, with full-term infants exhibiting more localized responses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Motor cortex development is crucial for infant motor skills.
- Understanding neurodevelopmental differences between full-term and preterm infants is vital.
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers a non-invasive method to study brain activity in infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare task-induced motor cortex activation between full-term and preterm infants at six months old.
- To investigate the association between brain hemodynamic activity and motor performance.
- To evaluate the utility of fNIRS in assessing sensorimotor cortex development in infants.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 73 six-month-old infants (35 full-term, 38 preterm).
- Motor performance assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, third edition (Bayley-III).
- Brain hemodynamic responses during a motor task measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
Main Results:
- Motor performance was comparable between full-term and preterm infants.
- Full-term infants displayed more unilateral/contralateral motor cortex activation, while preterm infants showed predominantly bilateral activation.
- Preterm infants had a longer hemodynamic response latency compared to full-term infants.
- Activation in the left sensorimotor region positively correlated with Bayley-III scores.
Conclusions:
- fNIRS effectively detects differences in task-induced sensorimotor cortex activation between infant groups.
- The findings suggest distinct neural pathways for motor control development in preterm infants.
- fNIRS shows promise as an auxiliary tool for investigating the neural underpinnings of early motor development.
Abstract:
This study aimed to assess task-induced activation in motor cortex and its association with motor performance in full-term and preterm born infants at six months old. A cross-sectional study of 73 six-month-old infants was conducted (35 full-term and 38 preterm infants). Motor performance was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development third edition-Bayley-III. Brain hemodynamic activity during motor task was measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Motor performance was similar in full-term and preterm infants. However, differences in hemodynamic response were identified. Full terms showed a more homogeneous unilateral and contralateral activated area, whereas in preterm-born the activation response was predominantly bilateral. The full-term group also exhibited a shorter latency for the hemodynamic response than the preterm group. Hemodynamic activity in the left sensorimotor region was positively associated with motor performance measured by Bayley-III. The results highlight the adequacy of fNIRS to assess differences in task-induced activation in sensorimotor cortex between groups. The association between motor performance and the hemodynamic activity require further investigation and suggest that fNIRS can become a suitable auxiliary tool to investigate aspects of neural basis on early development of motor abilities.
