title: Perinatal stroke causes abnormal trajectory and laterality in reaching during early infancy.
abstract: The developmental progression of reaching and early signs of upper extremity neglect is common concern for infants at risk for hemiparesis and cerebral palsy. We investigated the emergence of reaching and laterality in infants at risk for hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Eight infants with perinatal stroke (PS) and thirteen infants with typical development (TD) were assessed bimonthly from 2 to 7 months of age for 10 visits per infant. Reaching number and hand-toy contact duration were measured. Infants with PS demonstrated a linear trajectory of reaching behaviors with asymmetrical upper extremity performance. Infants with TD demonstrated a linear and quadratic trajectory of reaching behaviors and symmetrical upper extremity performance over the same age range. These results suggest that infants with PS have delay reaching and early signs of neglect not currently accounted for in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Physical Therapy, United States.
authors.forename: Chao-Ying
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Physical Therapy, United States.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tafone
authors.affiliation: Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Neurology, United States.
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Physical Therapy, United States; Nationwide Children's Hospital, Center for Perinatal Research, United States. Electronic address: jill.heathcock@osumc.edu.
authors.forename: Jill C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Heathcock
mesh_terms: D001132:Arm; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Infancy; Laterality; Motor control; Reaching; Stroke