title: Kinematic measurement of 12-week head control correlates with 12-month neurodevelopment in preterm infants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although new interventions treating neonatal brain injury show great promise, our current ability to predict clinical functional outcomes is poor. Quantitative biomarkers of long-term neurodevelopmental outcome are critically needed to gauge treatment efficacy. Kinematic measures derived from commonly used developmental tasks may serve as early objective markers of future motor outcomes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To develop reliable kinematic markers of head control at 12week corrected gestational age (CGA) from two motor tasks: head lifting in prone and pull-to-sit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective observational study of 22 preterm infants born between 24 and 34weeks of gestation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (Bayley) motor scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intrarater and interrater reliability of prone head lift angles and pull-to-sit head angles were excellent. Prone head lift angles at 12week CGA correlated with white matter NAA/Cho, concurrent Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) scores, and 12-month Bayley motor scores. Head angles during pull-to-sit at 12-week CGA correlated with TIMP scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Poor ability to lift the head in prone and an inability to align the head with the trunk during the pull-to-sit task were associated with poorer future motor outcome scores. Kinematic measurements of head control in early infancy may serve as reliable objective quantitative markers of future motor impairment and neurodevelopmental outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, SC, United States.
authors.forename: Jessica P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bentzley
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupation Therapy, College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina, SC, United States. Electronic address: cokerpc@musc.edu.
authors.forename: Patty
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coker-Bolt
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans, United States.
authors.forename: Noelle G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Moreau
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupation Therapy, College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina, SC, United States.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hope
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, SC, United States.
authors.forename: Viswanathan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ramakrishnan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, SC, United States.
authors.forename: Truman
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, SC, United States.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mulvihill
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, SC, United States.
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jenkins
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D011597:Psychomotor Performance
keywords: Kinematics; Motor delay; Preterm infants