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Early Developmental Trajectories in Infants With Neurofibromatosis 1
Shruti Garg1,2, Ming Wai Wan3, Jannath Begum-Ali4
1Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Insights
Infants with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) show similar cognitive and motor development trajectories as controls in infancy. However, the NF1 group experienced sleep difficulties, suggesting early interventions for sleep hygiene may be beneficial.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Pediatric neurology
- Genetics
Background:
- Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder associated with cognitive, social, and behavioral impairments.
- Early identification of developmental trajectories in infants with NF1 is crucial for timely intervention.
- Limited research exists on the developmental trajectories during infancy for children with NF1.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the developmental trajectories of cognitive, motor, and behavioral development in infants with NF1 against a control group.
- To identify specific areas of development that may be affected early in infancy for children with NF1.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of infants with NF1 and low-risk controls from 5 months of age.
- Standardized developmental assessments at 5, 10, and 14 months.
- Linear mixed modeling to analyze group differences in developmental measures over time.
Main Results:
- No significant group differences were found in cognitive, adaptive functioning, temperament, or behavioral measures.
- Social communication and parent-infant interaction showed no group differences.
- Infants with NF1 exhibited reduced sleep duration and longer sleep onset latency compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Infants with NF1 demonstrate comparable cognitive and behavioral developmental trajectories to controls during the first year of life.
- Sleep disturbances were more prevalent in the NF1 group during infancy.
- Early intervention strategies focusing on sleep hygiene may support optimal developmental outcomes in infants with NF1.
Objective:
To examine the trajectories of cognitive, motor and behavioural development in infants with NF1 compared to infants without a family history of neurodevelopmental difficulties.
Study Design:
Infants with NF1 and low-risk controls were recruited from 5 months of age and followed longitudinally. Data from standardised tests was gathered at 5, 10 and 14 months and developmental trajectories of motor, language, behaviour, sleep, social development and parent-infant interaction were examined. Linear mixed modelling was used to estimate group differences in cognitive and behavioural measures over time.
Results:
No group differences were observed on Mullen Scale of Early Learning, overall adaptive functioning, temperament or behavioural measures. There were no group differences observed on measures of social communication or parent-infant interaction. Over the course of development, the NF1 group slept less and took more time to settle to sleep as compared to the control group. Maternal education was significantly associated with cognitive and behavioural developmental outcomes in both groups.
Conclusion:
Cognitive, social and behavioural impairments are a cause of significant functional morbidity in children with NF1. This report is the first study to investigate the trajectories of cognitive, motor and behavioural development in infancy in NF1. Our results demonstrate that overall cognitive and behavioural developmental trajectories of the NF1 group in the infancy period are similar to controls. Given previous reports of delayed development in the NF1 cohort by 40 months, early clinical interventions strategies to promote sleep hygiene may be beneficial to optimise developmental outcomes.
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