The fetus in the extrauterine environment.
The influence of environmental factors on early development is discussed beginning with studies on the preterm newborn, most of which compare preterms who have reached 40 weeks conceptional age with full term newborns in respect of neuropsychic development. They are therefore open to several methodological criticisms and have supplied often contradictory results. With ultrasound techniques it is now possible to compare the fetus with the preterm in respect of motor development at the same conceptional age. The variety of methods used and the limits of fetal observability, especially in the last weeks of gestation, nonetheless demand great prudence in the interpretation of data obtained by this new means. The incidence of various motor patterns was assessed in a group of 10 preterms at low risk for neurological damage by means of weekly video recordings. The preliminary results seem to indicate that many items in the motor repertoire do not change substantially at the approach to 40 weeks conceptional age and are similar to those described in the fetus.
D002657:Child Development; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D004777:Environment; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D009043:Motor Activity; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena