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The importance of trunk motion in wearable based infant spontaneous movement analysis
María Marín-Palma1, Ignacia Rojas-Sepulveda1,2, Jessica Becerra-Caroca2
1Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Independencia 1027, Independencia, 8380453, Chile.
Insights
Wearable sensors can track infant spontaneous movements for early neurological assessments. Trunk movement analysis, specifically kurtosis and periodicity, effectively differentiates infant age groups in the first six months.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neurology
Background:
- Assessing spontaneous movements in infants is crucial for detecting neurological conditions.
- The expert-dependent Prechtl method aids motor risk prediction but lacks scalability, especially in low-resource settings.
- Inertial sensors offer a potentially accessible, automated alternative, but require validation against established methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify key trunk and limb movement metrics for assessing spontaneous movements in healthy infants.
- To establish a foundation for a sensor-based alternative to traditional infant motor assessment.
- To analyze accelerometric parameters in infants aged 0, 3, and 6 months.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 116 healthy infants across three age groups (0, 3, and 6 months).
- Recording infant movements using six wireless inertial sensors (limbs, thorax, pelvis).
- Estimating parameters from acceleration signals, including velocity, cross-correlation, kurtosis, skewness, area, and periodicity.
Main Results:
- Distinct accelerometric parameter profiles were observed across the 0, 3, and 6-month age groups.
- Trunk and limb parameters effectively differentiated between 0-3 months and 0-6 months.
- Trunk parameters were more discriminative between 3-6 months, with kurtosis and periodicity of trunk velocity uniquely distinguishing all three stages.
Conclusions:
- Wearable inertial sensors can reliably detect age-related differences in infant spontaneous movements within the first six months.
- Trunk movement analysis, particularly kurtosis and periodicity of velocity, shows significant potential for differentiating infant developmental stages.
- Limb movement data alone may be insufficient for distinguishing subtle motor differences between 3 and 6 months of age.
Abstract:
The characteristics of spontaneous movements in infants are essential for the early detection of neurological pathologies, with the Prechtl method being a widely recognized approach. While the Prechtl method is effective in predicting motor risks, its reliance on the evaluator's expertise limits its scalability, particularly in low-income areas. In such contexts, the use of inertial sensors combined with automated analysis presents a promising accessible alternative; however, more research is necessary to get results comparable to those of the Precht method. This research aims to determine the more important metrics of trunk and limbs to assess spontaneous movement in healthy infants during the first semester of life as the basis of a sensor-based alternative. It was a cross-sectional study with 116 separate subjects divided into 3 groups: 0 M Group (N = 43), 3 M Group (N = 44), and 6 M (N = 29). Participants' movements were recorded using 6 wireless inertial sensors (4 limbs, thorax, and pelvis). Parameters from the acceleration signal were estimated in relation to velocity, cross-correlation, kurtosis, skewness, area, and periodicity. The different stages (0 M,3 M, and 6 M) have different profiles of accelerometric parameters. Trunk and limb parameters can differentiate between 0 of 3 months (13/25 trunk and 17/36 limb parameters) and between 0 and 6 months (10/25 trunk and 20/36 limb). Mainly, trunk parameters can differentiate between 3 and 6 months (9/25 trunk vs. 3/36 limb). Additionally, only 2 trunk parameters (kurtosis and periodicity) can differentiate the 3 stages. Wearable devices can effectively detect significant differences in spontaneous movements during the first six months of life, particularly trunk-related data. The extremities could be insufficient to distinguish movements between 3 and 6 months. On the other hand, two key parameters-kurtosis of thorax velocity and periodicity of trunk velocity-successfully differentiate between the three age groups analyzed.
