Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026
10:02
A Battery of Motor Tests in a Neonatal Mouse Model of Cerebral Palsy
Published on: November 3, 2016
25.4K
Gait characteristics in 6-year-old children born extremely preterm
Yuji Ito1,2, Yuichiro Sugiyama3,4, Tadashi Ito5
1Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Showa-Ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan. ito.yuji.j6@f.mail.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
European Journal of Pediatrics
|November 11, 2025
Summary
Children born extremely preterm (EP) show motor impairments including poor gait quality, balance, and coordination. Lower birth weight and weight gain are linked to these deficits in school-aged children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Developmental coordination disorders affect 20-50% of extremely preterm (EP) born children.
- EP born individuals often exhibit reduced muscle strength throughout life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize motor impairments in 6-year-old children born EP.
- To investigate the relationship between perinatal factors and motor outcomes in EP children.
Main Methods:
- Compared motor function (balance, strength, coordination, gait quality) in EP children (n=10) vs. term-born controls (n=30).
- Utilized one-leg standing, two-step test, grip strength, five-times sit-to-stand, DCD Questionnaire, and 3D gait analysis (Gait Deviation Index).
- Analyzed correlations between motor outcomes and perinatal factors (birth weight, weight at 36 weeks) in the EP group.
Main Results:
- EP children had poorer balance, reduced grip strength, and lower DCD Questionnaire scores.
- EP children demonstrated decreased gait quality (lower GDI) and increased gait asymmetry.
- Birth weight positively correlated with GDI; weight at 36 weeks correlated with GDI and DCD scores.
Conclusions:
- Extremely preterm birth is associated with impaired gait quality, asymmetry, muscle strength, balance, and coordination traits.
- Lower birth weight and suboptimal weight gain may contribute to motor deficits and DCD traits in school-aged EP children.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Nature and Nurture
Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience, such as differences...
01:28Conduct Disorder
Conduct disorder is a complex mental health diagnosis characterized by a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that violates societal norms, the rights of others, or age-appropriate rules. The diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder require the presence of at least three problematic behaviors within the past 12 months, with at least one occurring in the past six months. These behaviors are grouped into four categories: aggression toward people and animals; destruction of property;...