Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Development of a Neonatal Rat Model for Brachial Plexus Birth Injury
09:42

Development of a Neonatal Rat Model for Brachial Plexus Birth Injury

Published on: March 27, 2026

Cognitive and Executive Function Profiles in School‑Age Children with Obstetric Brachial Plexus Injury

Elif Cimilli1, Ilkem Ceren Sigirtmac2, Tüzün Fırat3

  • 1Faculty of Health Sciences, Occupational Therapy Department Sıhhiye, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.

Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics
|June 20, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Children with obstetric brachial plexus injury (OBPI) show lower cognitive function but not executive function (EF) compared to typically developing peers. These findings highlight the need for cognitive assessments in managing OBPI.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric neurology
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Rehabilitation medicine

Background:

  • Obstetric brachial plexus injury (OBPI) can impact child development.
  • Cognitive and executive functions (EF) are crucial for daily functioning.
  • Understanding these impacts is vital for effective intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess cognitive and executive function (EF) in children with OBPI.
  • To investigate the influence of injury severity and surgical treatment on these functions.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed 30 children with OBPI (aged 6-12) and 22 controls.
  • Used Dynamic Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment for Children (DOTCA-Ch) for cognition.
  • Employed Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI) for EF via parent reports.
  • Applied non-parametric tests and FDR correction for analysis.

Main Results:

  • Children with OBPI demonstrated significantly lower cognitive function scores on DOTCA-Ch (p=0.002).
  • No significant differences in executive function (EF) composite scores were observed between groups.
  • Subgroup analyses revealed no significant impact of surgery or Narakas classification on outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Children with OBPI exhibit deficits in cognitive function compared to typically developing children.
  • Executive function (EF) appears unaffected in this OBPI cohort.
  • Integrating cognitive assessments into OBPI management is recommended.
Abstract

Keywords:
Cognitive assessmentcognitive functionexecutive functionneurodevelopmentobstetric brachial plexus ınjury (OBPI)school-age children

More Related Videos

Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy08:26

Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Published on: January 11, 2016

Surface Electromyographic Biofeedback as a Rehabilitation Tool for Patients with Global Brachial Plexus Injury Receiving Bionic Reconstruction09:14

Surface Electromyographic Biofeedback as a Rehabilitation Tool for Patients with Global Brachial Plexus Injury Receiving Bionic Reconstruction

Published on: September 28, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory01:14

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...
Information Processing Approach01:30

Information Processing Approach

The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...
Spinal Nerves: Plexus I01:22

Spinal Nerves: Plexus I

Nerve plexuses are networks of interlacing nerves that serve as communication hubs to distribute and organize nerve action across various body regions. The nerve plexuses are organized into the cervical plexus located in the neck region, brachial plexus in the shoulder area, lumbar plexus found in the lower back, sacral plexus situated in the pelvis, and coccygeal plexus located in the coccygeal region.
The Cervical Plexus
The cervical plexus, formed by the anterior rami of the first four...