Minor Neurological Signs and Perceptual-Motor Difficulties in Prematurely Born Children

Abstract

2 online articles that cite this article can be accessed at:

Two distinct forms of minor neurological dysfunction: perspectives emerging from a review of data of the Groningen Perinatal Project

“…[16][17][18] However, it is unclear whether the development of MND in preterm children is induced by a brain lesion. Some studies reported a significant association between mild forms of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), reflected by the presence of echodensities 19,20 or small focal cysts 21,22 in the periventricular areas, or mild ventricular dilatation 23 on ultrasound scans of the neonate's brain, and the development of MND. But others, who studied the brain with MRI at school age 24 or adolescence, 25 failed to find a relation between minor forms of PVL and MND.…”

Serial Head Ultrasound Studies in Preterm Infants: How Many Normal Studies Does One Infant Need to Exclude Significant Abnormalities?

“…[2][3][4]25 The significance of mild and transient HUS abnormalities is less clear, however, and more subtle neurodevelopmental sequelae may only be recognized after longterm follow-up studies have been evaluated. 30 Indeed, extremely low-BW infants <25 weeks gestation are at the highest risk for developmental delay, even in the absence of abnormal intracranial pathology. 29,[31][32][33] Therefore, long-term neurodevelopmental follow-up programs are necessary to detect and treat delays in this population regardless of HUS screening in the early neonatal period.…”

Less efficient elementary visuomotor processes in 7- to 10-year-old preterm-born children without cerebral palsy: An indication of impaired dorsal stream processes.

“…One of the more consistent findings in follow-up studies of preterm-born children is a deficit in visuomotor and visuospatial skills (Caravale & Vicari, 2004;Goyen, Lui, Woods, 1998;Jongmans et al, 1997;Luoma et al, 1998;van den Hout et al, 2000), which has been hypothesized to reflect impaired dorsal stream functioning (Foreman et al, 1997). Ventral visual stream functioning, in contrast, seems to be relatively intact.…”