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General Movement Assessment in Babies Born Preterm: Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R), Trajectory, and
Archana S Kadam1, Sidharth A Nayyar1, Sandeep S Kadam1
1Department of Pediatrics, KEM Hospital and Research Centre, Rasta Peth, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Insights
General Movement Assessment (GMA) and Motor Optimality Scores-Revised (MOS-R) in preterm infants predict neurodevelopmental outcomes. These assessments can guide early interventions in resource-limited settings.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neonatology
Background:
- Preterm infants (≤32 weeks) are at high risk for neurodevelopmental impairments.
- Early identification of neurodevelopmental outcomes is crucial for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the association between General Movement Assessment (GMA) findings, including Motor Optimality Scores-Revised (MOS-R), and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants.
- To evaluate the predictive value of GMA and MOS-R for neuromotor outcome at 9 months and 1 year of corrected age.
Main Methods:
- Serial GMA videos were recorded in preterm infants (≤32 weeks) at multiple time points: day 7, 35, 40 weeks postmenstrual age, and 16 weeks corrected age.
- Neuromotor outcome was assessed using the Amiel-Tison Neurological Assessment at 9 months and the Developmental Assessment Scales for Indian Infants (DASII) at 1 year of corrected age.
- Statistical analyses included Spearman correlation, Fisher exact tests, and ordinal regression.
Main Results:
- Moderate correlations were found between MOS-R and DASII motor and mental DQs (r=0.70 and r=0.65, respectively).
- GMA trajectory between 35-40 weeks was associated with DASII motor DQ and Amiel-Tison scores.
- MOS-R at 16 weeks corrected age was a significant predictor of motor DQ at 1 year (OR -0.59).
Conclusions:
- General Movement Assessment (GMA), including MOS-R scores, is associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in Indian preterm infants.
- These findings are consistent with those from high-income countries, suggesting universal applicability.
- GMA can facilitate early intervention strategies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries with limited resources.
Objective:
To assess the association between the General Movement Assessment (GMA) findings, including Motor Optimality Scores-Revised (MOS-R) at 16 weeks, and neuromotor outcome assessed by the Amiel-Tison Neurological Assessment at 9 months of corrected age and the Developmental Assessment Scales for Indian Infants (DASII) at 1 year of corrected age in preterm ≤32 weeks.
Study Design:
Serial GMA videos of infants born preterm ≤32 weeks were recorded on day 7, 35 weeks of postmenstrual age, 40 weeks of postmenstrual age, and 16 weeks of corrected age. The association between GMA findings, including MOS-R scores and GM trajectory between 35 to 40 weeks and the Amiel-Tison Neurological Assessment and DASII scores, was assessed by Spearman correlation, Fisher exact tests, and ordinal regression.
Results:
Moderate correlations were observed between MOS-R and the DASII motor DQ (Spearman r = 0.70, P < .001) and between MOS-R and DASII Mental DQ (r = 0.65, P < .001). The GMA trajectory at 35-40 weeks was associated with DASII motor DQ (Fisher exact, P = .002), and also with the Amiel-Tison Neurological Assessment at 9 months of corrected age (P < .01 by the Fisher exact test). On analysis by performing ordinal regression of predictive values of the general movements (GM) at 7 days of age, GM at 35 weeks, GM at 40 weeks, GM at 16 weeks, and MOS-R at 16 weeks, MOS-R alone was a statistically significant predictor of motor DQ at 1 year of age (OR -0.59; 95% CI -0.97 to -0.22; Wald statistics, P < .02).
Conclusions:
Consistent with findings in high-income countries, GMA including MOS-R scores performed in Indian infants born preterm during the neonatal period and early infancy is associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes in the first year of life. GMA can help initiate focused early intervention in low- and middle-income settings, where resources may be limited.
