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Very Preterm Early Motor Repertoire and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 8 Years

Sahar Salavati1, Arend F Bos2, Lex W Doyle3,4,5,6

  • 1Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands s.salavati@umcg.nl.

Pediatrics
|August 28, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Fidgety movements (FMs) and motor optimality scores (MOS-R) in preterm infants predict later cognitive and motor skills. Early favorable motor repertoire in infants born very preterm is linked to better school-aged performance.

Area of Science:

  • Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics
  • Movement Science
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Infants born very preterm (<32 weeks' gestation) exhibit higher rates of neurodevelopmental challenges compared to term-born infants.
  • Aberrant fidgety movements (FMs) in early infancy are linked to adverse motor outcomes in very preterm children.
  • The association between early motor assessments, including the Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R), and school-aged cognitive and motor outcomes in this population remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between early motor repertoire, specifically fidgety movements (FMs) and the Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R), and cognitive and motor outcomes at school age in children born very preterm.
  • To determine if early motor assessment scores predict neurodevelopmental outcomes at 8 years of corrected age.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 97 infants born before 30 weeks' gestation underwent general movements assessment at 3 months' corrected age, yielding scores for fidgety movements (FMs) and MOS-R.
  • Cognitive and motor performances were assessed at 8 years' corrected age.
  • Linear regression analyses were used to examine associations between early motor scores and later outcomes.

Main Results:

  • A higher MOS-R and favorable components, including normal FMs, were associated with better general cognition, attention, working memory, executive function, and motor function at 8 years.
  • The presence of normal FMs at 3 months was linked to a significantly higher general conceptual ability score at 8 years (21.6 points higher).
  • Eighty percent of eligible infants completed neurodevelopmental assessments at 8 years.

Conclusions:

  • A favorable early motor repertoire in infants born before 30 weeks' gestation is a strong predictor of improved cognitive and motor performance at 8 years of corrected age.
  • Early detection of motor abnormalities through assessments like FMs and MOS-R may identify preterm infants at risk for later neurodevelopmental difficulties.
Abstract

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