Search

This review summarizes human perception and processing of face and gaze signals. Face and gaze signals are important means of non-verbal social communication. The review highlights that: (1) some evidence is available suggesting that the perception and processing of facial information starts in the prenatal period; (2) the perception and processing of face identity, expression and gaze direction is highly context specific, the effect of race and culture being a case in point. Culture affects by means of experiential shaping and social categorization the way in which information on face and gaze is collected and perceived; (3) face and gaze processing occurs in the so-called 'social brain'. Accumulating evidence suggests that the processing of facial identity, facial emotional expression and gaze involves two parallel and interacting pathways: a fast and crude subcortical route and a slower cortical pathway. The flow of information is bi-directional and includes bottom-up and top-down processing. The cortical networks particularly include the fusiform gyrus, superior temporal sulcus (STS), intraparietal sulcus, temporoparietal junction and medial prefrontal cortex.

Background: Longer gestation at term and post-term age is associated with increased perinatal mortality. Nonetheless, recent neuroimaging studies indicated that longer gestation is also associated with better functioning of the child's brain. Aims: to assess whether longer gestation in term and post-term (in short: term) singletons is associated with better infant neurodevelopment. Study design: cross-sectional observational study. Subjects: Participants were all singleton term infants (n = 1563) aged 2–18 months of the IMP-SINDA project that collected normative data for the Infant Motor Profile (IMP) and Standardized Infant NeuroDevelopmental Assessment (SINDA). The group was representative of the Dutch population. Outcome measures: Total IMP score was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were atypical total IMP scores (scores

Background: Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) status is associated with risk of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. We previously demonstrated no effect of LCPUFA supplementation after birth on BP and anthropometrics. Little is known about the association between fatty acid status at birth and cardiometabolic health at older ages.Aim: To evaluate associations between docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) levels in the umbilical cord and blood pressure (BP) and anthropometrics at 9 years.Study design: Observational follow-up study. Multivariable analyses were carried out to adjust for potential confounders.Subjects: 229 children who took part in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) on the effects of LCPUFA formula supplementation.Outcome measures: BP was chosen as primary outcome; heart rate and anthropometrics as secondary outcomes.Results: AA levels in the wall of the umbilical vein and artery were negatively associated with diastolic BP (B: vein -0.831, 95% CI: -1.578; -0.083, p = 0.030; artery: -0.605, 95% CI: -1.200; -0.010, p = 0.046). AA was not associated with systolic BP; DHA not with diastolic nor systolic BP. The AA:DHA ratio in the umbilical vein was negatively associated with diastolic BP (B: -1.738, 95% CI: -3.141; -0.335, p = 0.015). Heart rate and anthropometrics were not associated with neonatal LCPUFA status.Conclusions: Higher AA levels and a higher AA:DHA ratio at birth are associated with lower diastolic BP at age 9. This suggests that the effect of LCPUFAs at early age is different from that in adults, where DHA is regarded antiadipogenic and AA as adipogenic. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Background: Movement complexity and the presence of fidgety movements (FMs) during general movements (GMs) both reflect aspects of neurological integrity in early infancy.Aim: To assess interrelations between the degree of movement complexity and characteristics of FMs during typical GMs and to investigate associations between mildly impaired GMs and risk factors and neurodevelopmental condition.Study design: Observational cohort study.Subjects: 283 infants (25 born preterm) at 2-4 months corrected age, representative of the general Dutch population.Outcome measures: GMs were classified in terms of GM-complexity (normal or mildly abnormal (MA)) and FMs (clearly present, sporadic, or exaggerated). Concurrent neurological, developmental and socio-emotional status were measured with the Standardized Infant NeuroDevelopmental Assessment (SINDA).Results: Infants with MA GM-complexity had a higher risk of having sporadic FMs and exaggerated FMs. Perinatal complications were not associated with mildly impaired GMs. MA GM-complexity was associated with advanced maternal age (adjusted OR = 2.29 [1.11, 4.76]) and having a non-native Dutch mother (adjusted OR = 2.93 [1.29, 6.64]). It was also associated with atypical neurological (OR = 7.62 [3.51, 16.54]) and developmental scores (OR = 2.38 [1.16, 4.88]). Sporadic and exaggerated FMs were associated with low-to-middle maternal education (adjusted OR = 2.88, [1.45, 5.72]) and having a non-native Dutch father (adjusted OR = 7.16 [1.41, 36.32]), respectively. However, neither sporadic nor exaggerated FMs were associated with the SINDA outcomes.Conclusions: GM-complexity and FMs are two interrelated but different aspects of GMs. Mild impairments in GM-complexity and FMs share a non-optimal socio-economic background as risk factor, but only MA GM-complexity is associated with a concurrent non-optimal neurodevelopmental condition.

The stimulating study by da Rocha Neves et al. (in this issue)1 addresses the role of social and biological factors in growth and development of young children in a disadvantaged society. The authors assessed a group of 92 children, aged 24--36 months, who in 2011 attended the municipal early childhood education network in a town in the Vale do Jequitinhonha region. This region in the southeast of Brazil is considered economically underprivileged. The study was restricted to children with typical development, which meant that the children did not suffer from an evident congenital or acquired disability. Growth was assessed by means of standard anthropometrics, with a focus on heightfor-age, a valid tool to assess childhood malnutrition.2 Development was measured with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSITD-III),3 the gold standard to measure developmental outcome at early age. The cognitive score and the expressive language scores were used as outcome parameters. Biological risk was assessed by a few perinatal factors, such as gestational age at birth, birth weight, pregnancy complications, and the number of prenatal consultations, and a few childhood parameters, including breastfeeding, the presence of chronic diseases

Background: There is an association between rapid growth in early life and overweight in childhood. This adverse association needs to be balanced against potential beneficial effects on cognitive functioning observed in children who are born small for gestational age (SGA).Objective: We examined potential beneficial effects of rapid growth on cognitive functions in non-SGA children.Design: We performed a systematic literature search of 3 databases. In addition, we analyzed data from the Avon Longitudinal Study on Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The association of rapid weight or length gain (defined as an increase of >0.67 in the SD score of weight or length between birth and the age of 25 mo) on intelligence quotient (IQ) measurements at 49 mo and 8 y (n = 836 and n = 701, respectively) was assessed in linear models adjusted for potential confounders.Results: We identified 14 studies that assessed associations between any kind of early weight gain and cognitive outcome and that included non-SGA children. No study explicitly examined the effect of rapid weight gain. In the ALSPAC data, there was no positive association between rapid weight gain and IQ scores at either 49 mo [effect estimate (95% Cl): -1.4 (-3.6, 0.7)] or 8 y [-0.8 (-3.4, 1.9)] in non-SGA children. Subgroup analyses with stratification by sex of the children yielded similar results, as did analyses with rapid length gain. Supplementary analyses showed no linear association between weight gain and IQ.Conclusion: We showed no evidence that proposed adverse effects of rapid growth regarding later overweight will be counterbalanced by beneficial effects on cognitive functions in non-SGA children. Am J Clin Nutr 2010;92:585-93.

Background: Perinatal asphyxia may result in a developmental disorder. A recently developed non-invasive toot to investigate brain function at an early age is the assessment of general movements (GMs).Aim: To evaluate relationships between perinatal risk factors and the quality of GMs in the neonatal period and at 3 months in term newborns with asphyxia in a secondary paediatric setting.Methods: 64 term (>36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA)) infants with perinatal asphyxia were studied. GMs were assessed at 'writhing' GM age (38-47 weeks PMA) and at 'fidgety' GM age (4856 weeks PMA). Pre- and perinatal factors were collected in a standardized way.Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that DA GMs at 'writhing' age mainly correlated with asphyxia related illness. DA GMs at 'fidgety' age correlated in particular with abnormalities on the neonatal ultrasound scan of the brain.Conclusion: In secondary paediatric settings GM-assessment especially around 3 months is a valuable toot for the assessment of the integrity of the nervous system in term infants with asphyxia. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Objective The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between acid–base status and quality and quantity of General Movements (GMs) at birth and quality of GMs at age 3 months and motor, cognitive and behavioural functioning at the age of 4 years. Methods From a cohort of 84 term children with different umbilical artery pH without severe neonatal neurological abnormalities, GMs were assessed at term and at 3 months. At the age of 4 years, 44 children were assessed by means of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Movement-ABC), Neurological Examination for Toddlers of Hempel, Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children information processing (Kaufman ABC), Visuomotor Integration (VMI), the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and Precursors ADHD Questionnaire (PAQ). Results We found no relationship between pH or GM-quality and quantity at term or GM-quality at 3 months and scores on most of the items of the Movement-ABC, cognitive and behavioural outcome. However, neonatal pH value and GM-quality at 3 months were related to some extent to the presence of subtle signs of neuromotor dysfunction as measured by the Hempel test. Conclusions In a sample of infants with a large variation in umbilical artery pH and without severe neonatal neurological abnormalities, acid–base status at birth and quality of GMs at 3 months of age is not predictive for motor milestone achievement, cognitive and behavioural functioning at 4 years, but these parameters are related to a less optimal condition of the nervous system. The latter finding has, however, limited clinical significance.

Background: Whether long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs) play a role in the development of the young nervous system in term infants is debated. Objective: We investigated whether supplementation of formula with LCPs for 2 mo improves the quality of general movements (GMs) in healthy term infants at 3 mo of age. Design: A prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled study was conducted with 2 groups of healthy term infants: a control-formula (CF) group (n = 131) and an LCP-supplemented-formula (LF) group (n = 119). A breastfed (BF) group (n = 147) served as a reference. Information on potential confounders was collected at enrollment. Videotapes were made of the infants' spontaneous motor behavior at 3 mo of age to assess the quality of their GMs. On the basis of quality, normal GMs were classified as normal-optimal or normal-suboptimal, and abnormal GMs were classified as mildly or definitely abnormal. Attrition at 3 mo of age was 15% and nonselective. Multivariate regression analyses with adjustment for confounders were carried out to evaluate the effect of the type of feeding. Results: None of the infants had definitely abnormal GMs. Infants in the CF group had mildly abnormal GMs significantly more often than did infants in the LF and BF groups (31% compared with 19% and 20%, respectively). Infants in the BF group had normal-optimal GMs more frequently than did infants in the LF and CF groups (34% compared with 18% and 21%, respectively). Logistic regression analyses confirmed these findings. Conclusion: Supplementation of healthy term infants with LCPs during the first 2 mo of life reduces the occurrence of mildly abnormal GMs.

Application of the concepts of the Neuronal Group Selection Theory (NGST) may shed a new light on motor development. According to NGST, normal motor development is characterized by two phases of variability. Variation is not random, but determined by criteria set by genetic information. Development starts with the phase of primary variability, during which variation in motor behavior is not geared to external conditions. At function-specific ages secondary variability starts, during which motor performance can be adapted to specific situations. In both forms of variability selection on the basis of afferent information plays a significant role. From the NGST point of view, children with pre-or perinatally acquired brain damage suffer from stereotyped motor behavior produced by a limited repertoire of primary (sub)cortical neuronal networks. These children also have problems in selecting the most efficient neuronal activity due to deficits in the processing of sensory information. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

The present study focussed on the development and interaction of reaching and posture in supine position in young infants. The kinematics of goal directed reaches and the concurrent ground reaction forces of the total body centre of pressure (COP) in cranial-caudal and medial-lateral direction were recorded in twelve healthy fullterm infants at 4 and 6 months of age. From eight infants, data were available at both ages. The results indicated that between 4 and 6 months, postural stability during reaching in supine position increased, as the oscillatory COP displacement in the medial-lateral direction decreased significantly with increasing age. Concurrently, reaching performance improved, which was reflected by a decrease in the number of movement units (MU), the length of the displacement-path of the hand and an increase of the length and duration of the first MU. The kinematic data of the reaching movements and the COP data were correlated at both ages, but the nature of the relation changed. At 4 months of age, the number of MU was related to the number of COP oscillations in the cranial-caudal direction, whereas at 6 months the maximum velocity of the hand movement was related to the maximum velocity of COP displacement in cranial-caudal and medial-lateral direction. This change might point to the development of a more subtle control of postural adjustments during reaching movements in supine position. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Reaching movements in adults are accompanied by complex postural adjustments which are controlled by spatial, temporal, and quantitative parameters. The basic postural adjustments are selected on the basis of the spatial parameter, whereas fine tuning of the pattern is guided by temporal and quantitative parameters. In specific conditions, such as during fast arm movements, postural adjustments have an anticipatory character. Recently, the development of postural adjustments during reaching was studied longitudinally in infants aged 3-18 months, placed in supine and sitting positions. The data revealed that already at 4 months, the age at which successful reaching emerges, reaching movements are accompanied by complex postural adjustments. The early postural patterns resembled the adult ones in spatial features (dorso-ventral ordering), temporal characteristics (top-down recruitment), and position dependency. With increasing age the postural patterns changed considerably, including a transient period of less extensive postural activity at 6-8 months, the age at which rolling, sitting up and crawling develops. Postural anticipation during reaching was not consistently present at any age.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine in preterm infants al risk for severe chronic lung disease (1) the quality of general movements (GMs) and (2) the effect of dexamethasone treatment on spontaneous motor activity. Study design: In 15 very low birth weight infants the quality of GMs was assessed Gum repeated videotape recordings. Recordings were made at weekly intervals during the preterm period until term age and thereafter three times until the twentieth postterm week. All infants required devamethasone therapy and additional recordings were made a few hours before and 24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days after dexamethasone was started. The relationship among movement quality, brain ultrasonographic abnormalities, and long-term outcome was explored. Acute effects of dexamethasone on motor activity were examined. Results: After dexamethasone therapy nas started, a significant transient reduction of the quantity of most spontaneous movements (p

In order to describe the developmental changes of general movements (GM) in early infancy and to relate them to changes in other aspects of the neurological repertoire, the spontaneous motility in supine position was recorded on video tape at 4-week intervals in a group of twenty-two full-term healthy infants aged 2-18 weeks. Each follow-up session included a neurological examination. In newborn infants GM have a 'writhing' quality. The movements are characterized by a tight appearance, a relatively slow speed and a limited amplitude. The 'writhing' character of the GM is gradually broken down into a so-called 'fidgety' quality. These GM are typified by an ongoing flow of small movements occurring irregularly all over the body. The transformation of GM from a 'writhing' character into a 'fidgety' character was related more closely to postmenstrual than to postnatal age. 'Fidgety' GM were almost constantly present at the age of 8-12 weeks. In the third month very rapid arm movements ('swipes' and 'swats') occurred. The developmental changes in the form of the GM and those of the neurological repertoire showed no significant correlation. This demonstrates that within the normal CNS the various functional modules develop autonomously.

In a follow-up study long-term effects of antenatal exposure to two anticonvulsant drugs, phenobarbital and carbamazepine on central nervous system development were evaluated. Children aged 6 to 13 years of epileptic mothers who used phenobarbital (n = 13), carbamazepine (n = 12), phenobarbital plus carbamazepine (n = 12), or no medication (n = 24) during pregnancy were studied. None of the mothers had seizures during pregnancy. A control group carefully matched for confounding variables was selected of children of nonepileptic mothers (n = 61). Minor and major congenital anomalies appeared to be more related to mother's epilepsy than to maternal medication. There were no neurologic differences between the groups. Exposure to phenobarbital was associated with smaller head circumference. An accompanying negative effect of phenobarbital on cognitive development was suggested. Further research on this intriguing phenomenon seems warranted.

This study investigates the early development of postural adjustments during external perturbations in two different standing positions: standing with support and standing without support. The aim of the study was to assess a group of 13 infants four times during the period in life when independent standing is achieved; at 8, 10, 12 and 14 months. However, longitudinal data could be achieved only in four infants. Muscle activations of the neck, hip and ankle were recorded using surface electromyography. Based on earlier studies and controversies, three main issues were addressed: (1) Is direction specificity present before independent standing is established? (2) How do postural adjustments change with increasing age (8–14 months)? (3) Are postural adjustments task-specific in the young child? The results showed that our small sample of infants aged 8 and 10 months, who were not yet able to stand independently, exhibited direction-specific postural adjustments both during standing with and without support, though not consistently during all trials and at all body levels. Therefore, we argue that direction specificity might constitute a prerequisite for the development of independent standing. We also found that the development of postural adjustments in standing with support resembles that of sitting, i.e. great variation in the postural adjustments at early age, and fine-tuning to the situation with increasing age and experience. This, we find that this is in agreement with the proposal that postural control develops through a selection process of the most suitable postural adjustments for the situation from a repertoire of direction-specific postural adjustments. The development of postural adjustments during standing without support is discussed. Additionally, differences in response rates were noted between the two standing positions, indicating that even before independent standing is established, sophisticated sensorimotor integration enables task-specific postural adjustments.

Summary A neurological follow up study was done of 143 full-term infants who were small for gestational age based on intrauterine growth retardation and of 49 preterm appropriate-for-gestational-age (PTAGA) infants at the age of 6 years. Findings were compared with those of a reference group of 192 full-term appropriate-forgestational-age (FTAGA) children. In 11 % of the children of both study groups, hypotonia was found without any other neurological deviancy. This type of hypotonia was absent in the reference group, whereas minor neurological dysfunction consisting of hypotonia with other neurological signs was found in all the three groups of children. No relation was found with obstetrical or neonatal variables, including severity of growth retardation and gestational age, or with weight, body height or head circumference at 6 years. The possible interference of preterm birth or intrauterine growth retardation with, and the role of placental mechanisms in, fetal and early postnatal muscle development is discussed.