Neurobehavioural comparison of low-risk preterm and fullterm infants at term conceptional age

The neurobehavioural performances of 20 low-risk preterm infants born at 33 weeks gestation or less were examined with the Brazelton Scale at the expected date of delivery, and 20 healthy fullterm infants were also examined on the fifth day of life. The preterm infants were significantly inferior in orientation, motor performance, regulation of state and autonomic regulation. With the exception of autonomic regulation, the neurobehavioural clusters were more heterogeneous among the preterm group. The data suggest that low gestational age at birth, even following relatively normal pre-, peri- and neonatal development, is associated with a behavioural repertoire which is different, more heterogeneous and on average poorer than that of fullterm infants.