Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 29, 2025

Application of an Amplitude-integrated EEG Monitor Cerebral Function Monitor to Neonates
05:58

Application of an Amplitude-integrated EEG Monitor Cerebral Function Monitor to Neonates

Published on: September 6, 2017

39.7K

Early postnatal growth and subsequent neurodevelopment in children delivered at term: The ELFE cohort study

Marion Taine1,2, Anne Forhan1, Andrei S Morgan2,3,4

  • 1Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics, INSERM, INRA, Université de Paris, Paris, France.

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology
|July 13, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Accelerated early postnatal growth (EPG) in small for gestational age (SGA) infants, particularly catch-up in head circumference, BMI, and weight within 3 months, may positively impact neurodevelopment. This finding aids clinicians in monitoring infant growth and development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Growth and Development
  • Infant Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
  • Biometric Analysis in Neonates

Background:

  • Early postnatal growth (EPG) is often presumed to enhance neurodevelopment in term-born infants, especially those small for gestational age (SGA).
  • Limited empirical evidence supports the direct benefits of EPG on neurodevelopmental trajectories.
  • The existence of critical time windows for EPG's impact on neurodevelopment remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate critical time windows for accelerated early postnatal growth (EPG) and its association with neurodevelopmental outcomes.
  • To analyze these associations across different birth size groups: small (SGA), appropriate (AGA), and large (LGA) for gestational age.
  • To provide evidence-based guidance for monitoring infant growth and neurodevelopment.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the French ELFE birth cohort (12,854 term-born neonates).
  • Assessed neurodevelopment using the Child Development Inventory (CDI-score) at 12 months and MacArthur-Bates Development Inventory (MAB-score) at 24 months.
  • Employed the Jenss-Bayley mixed-effects model to predict growth parameters (weight, BMI, length, head circumference) and calculated conditional gains (CG) at key time points (3, 6, 12, 24 months).

Main Results:

  • For SGA infants, conditional gains in BMI, weight, and head circumference (HC) at 3 months showed significant associations with later language development (MAB-score).
  • A positive linear association was observed between length conditional gains at 12 months and MAB-score across all infants, particularly pronounced in SGA infants.
  • Results for the CDI-score corroborated the findings from the MAB-score, indicating consistent patterns in neurodevelopmental assessment.

Conclusions:

  • Moderate catch-up growth in head circumference (HC), BMI, and weight within the first three months of life is associated with improved neurodevelopmental outcomes in term-born SGA infants.
  • These findings suggest that specific periods of postnatal growth are critical for neurodevelopmental trajectories.
  • Clinicians can utilize these insights to monitor early postnatal growth and potentially optimize neurodevelopmental support for SGA infants.
Abstract

Keywords:
appropriate for gestational ageearly postnatal growthlarge for gestational ageneurodevelopmentsmall for gestational age

More Related Videos

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale19:15

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

86.8K
Neurodevelopmental Reflex Testing in Neonatal Rat Pups09:35

Neurodevelopmental Reflex Testing in Neonatal Rat Pups

Published on: April 24, 2017

20.4K

Related Concept Videos

Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience,...
21.2K
Environmental Influences on Intelligence01:29

Environmental Influences on Intelligence

Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children...
542
Biological Influences on Intelligence01:30

Biological Influences on Intelligence

Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter...
291