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Longer duration of gestation in term singletons is associated with better infant neurodevelopment
Mijna Hadders-Algra1, Patricia A M van Iersel1, Kirsten R Heineman2
1University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Dept. Pediatrics - section Developmental Neurology, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Insights
Longer gestation in term infants is linked to improved neurodevelopmental scores, indicating better neural efficiency. However, it was not associated with atypical neurological scores in this Dutch population study.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal Medicine
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Extended gestation at term and post-term is linked to higher perinatal mortality.
- Recent neuroimaging suggests longer gestation may enhance a child's brain function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between longer gestation and infant neurodevelopment in term and post-term singletons.
- To determine if extended gestational duration correlates with improved neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional observational study involving 1563 singleton term infants (aged 2-18 months) from the IMP-SINDA project.
- Utilized the Infant Motor Profile (IMP) and Standardized Infant NeuroDevelopmental Assessment (SINDA) for data collection.
- The study cohort was representative of the Dutch population.
Main Results:
- A quadratic relationship was observed between gestational duration and both IMP and SINDA developmental scores.
- Infants born at 41-42 weeks showed significantly fewer atypical IMP and SINDA developmental scores compared to those born at 39-40 weeks.
- Gestational duration was not associated with SINDA's neurological score.
Conclusions:
- Longer gestation in term singleton infants is associated with enhanced infant neurodevelopmental scores, suggesting improved neural network efficiency.
- Extended gestation in term infants does not appear to be linked to atypical neurological scores.
Background:
Longer gestation at term and post-term age is associated with increased perinatal mortality. Nonetheless, recent neuroimaging studies indicated that longer gestation is also associated with better functioning of the child's brain.
Aims:
to assess whether longer gestation in term and post-term (in short: term) singletons is associated with better infant neurodevelopment.
Study Design:
cross-sectional observational study.
Subjects:
Participants were all singleton term infants (n = 1563) aged 2-18 months of the IMP-SINDA project that collected normative data for the Infant Motor Profile (IMP) and Standardized Infant NeuroDevelopmental Assessment (SINDA). The group was representative of the Dutch population.
Outcome Measures:
Total IMP score was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were atypical total IMP scores (scores <15th percentile) and SINDA's neurological and developmental scores.
Results:
Duration of gestation had a quadratic relationship with IMP and SINDA developmental scores. IMP scores were lowest at a gestation of 38·5 weeks, SINDA developmental scores at 38·7 weeks. Next, both scores increased with increasing duration of gestation. Infants born at 41-42 weeks had significantly less often atypical IMP scores (adjusted OR [95 % CI]: 0·571 [0·341-0·957] and atypical SINDA developmental scores (adjusted OR: 0·366 [0·195-0·688]) than infants born at 39-40 weeks. Duration of gestation was not associated with SINDA's neurological score.
Conclusions:
In term singleton infants representative of the Dutch population longer gestation is associated with better infant neurodevelopment scores suggesting better neural network efficiency. Longer gestation in term infants is not associated with atypical neurological scores.
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