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Twitching in sleeping premature infants provides a sensitive behavioral assay of early motor control

Greta Sokoloff1,2, Taylor G Christiansen1, Hailey C Long1

  • 1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, 340 Iowa Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52242 USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|February 6, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Preterm infants exhibit extensive limb twitching during sleep, a crucial indicator of developing motor control. This study reveals age-related changes in twitching patterns, offering insights into typical and atypical neurodevelopment.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Sleep research
  • Neonatal development

Background:

  • Limb twitching is an early developmental behavior and a key feature of active (REM) sleep.
  • Previous research focused on full-term infants, leaving preterm infants understudied.
  • Preterm infants have increased sleep time and are at higher risk for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically characterize limb twitching in preterm infants at 34-35 weeks postmenstrual age.
  • To investigate the developmental changes and spatiotemporal patterns of twitching.
  • To explore the implications of twitching for assessing neural control of movement in preterm infants.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic behavioral assessments of limb twitching in preterm infants.
  • Analysis of spatiotemporal characteristics of twitching during different sleep states.
  • Observation of twitching patterns at 34-35 weeks postmenstrual age.

Main Results:

  • Preterm infants display a high volume of body-wide twitching, indicating developmental importance.
  • Twitching patterns evolve with age, with a notable increase in finger and toe movements.
  • During tracé alternant sleep, leg-exclusive twitching occurs in brief episodes.

Conclusions:

  • Limb twitching in preterm infants is a significant behavior reflecting developing neural control.
  • The spatiotemporal analysis of twitching serves as a sensitive assay for neurodevelopmental assessment.
  • Findings highlight the potential of sleep behavior analysis for understanding typical and atypical infant development.

Keywords:
REM sleepactive sleepdevelopmentmotor controlred nucleussensorimotortracé alternant

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