title: Early psychomotor development of low-risk preterm infants: Influence of gestational age and gender.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The influence of gestational age and gender in the neurodevelopment of infants during the first year of age is not yet fully elucidated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to identify the early occurrence of neurodevelopmental differences, between very preterm, late preterm and term born infants and the possible influence of the gender on the neurodevelopment in early infancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 188 low-risk infants, 69 very preterms, 71 late-preterms, and 48 term infants were assessed at 3, 6, 9, 12 months corrected age using the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE). At two years of age infants performed the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main results indicate that both very preterms and late-preterms showed significant lower global scores than term born infants at each evaluation (p < 0.001) at HINE and namely, at 3 months for the subsections "cranial nerve" and "posture" and at every age for "tone"; no gender differences has been evidenced in neurological performances. At the MDI, very preterms showed significant lower scores (p < 0.01) than both late-preterm and term born infants; gender differences were observed for preterms only (very and late), with best performances for females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results point out the presence of gestational age and gender-dependent differences in the development of infants assessed during the first 2 years of life.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurology Unit, Catholic University Rome, Italy. Electronic address: domenicomarco.romeo@policlinicogemelli.it.
authors.forename: Domenico M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Romeo
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurology Unit, Catholic University Rome, Italy; Unit of Child and Adolescent NeuroPsychiatry, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, University "Campus Bio-Medico", Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brogna
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurology Unit, Catholic University Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sini
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Paediatrics, University of Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Romeo
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Catholic University Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cota
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurology Unit, Catholic University Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ricci
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D047929:Term Birth / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Gender differences; Hammersmith infant neurological examination; Late preterm; Preterm