Mechanically evoked perioral reflexes in premature and term human infants.
Neurophysiological assessment of the preterm human neonatal oromotor system has been limited due to their fragile medical state, and methodological limitations. A new, noninvasive technology known as the actifier was developed and used to evoke perioral motor unit activity during non-nutritive suck in preterm infants. A significant ontologic trend for the early component of the perioral reflex (R1) was discovered in the context of spontaneous, centrally-patterned oromotor behavior.
Barlow
S M
SM
Department of Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders, Communication Neuroscience Laboratories, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA. smbarlow@ku.edu
Dusick
A
A
Finan
D S
DS
Coltart
S
S
Biswas
A
A
D004576:Electromyography; D005154:Facial Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015370:Infant Equipment; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology*; D019563:Mechanics; D012026:Reflex, Stretch / Q000502:physiology; D013391:Sucking Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000502:physiology