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Increasing muscle activity correlations during spontaneous movements in the first six months of life

I Y Dolinskaya1, I A Solopova1, D S Zhvansky1

  • 1Laboratory of Neurobiology of Motor Control, Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Moscow, Russia.

Neuroscience Letters
|May 14, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Early infant muscle activity shows increasing coordination between limbs with age. This electromyography study reveals developing neuromuscular control from spontaneous movements to goal-directed actions in healthy babies.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Motor control
  • Infant physiology

Background:

  • Spontaneous muscle activity is crucial for motor skill development and sensorimotor adaptation in infants.
  • Limb movement correlations are known, but muscle activity analysis offers deeper insights into neuromuscular maturation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the maturation of neuromuscular control by analyzing muscle activity correlations in infants.
  • To explore age-related changes in upper and lower limb muscle coordination.

Main Methods:

  • Electromyographic (EMG) activity of 12 upper and lower limb muscles was recorded.
  • Data was collected from 40 healthy, full-term infants aged 1 week to 6 months.
  • Analysis focused on ipsilateral and contralateral muscle activity correlations during spontaneous and passive movements.

Main Results:

  • Increased correlations in ipsilateral and contralateral limb muscle activity (flexors and extensors) with infant age were observed.
  • Correlations between arm and leg muscle responses also increased during passive leg movements.
  • Findings suggest a progressive emergence of coordinated neuromuscular behavior.

Conclusions:

  • The study indicates the maturation of neuromuscular network connections during early development.
  • This maturation supports the transition from spontaneous to voluntary, goal-directed movements.
  • Electromyography provides valuable data on the development of motor control in infants.

Keywords:
Early developmentInfantsMuscle activity correlationsMuscle tonePassive leg movementsSpontaneous movements

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