Development of postural control in infancy in cerebral palsy and cystic periventricular leukomalacia. (July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Boxum, Anke G.; Dijkstra, Linze-Jaap; la Bastide-van Gemert, Sacha; Hamer, Elisa G.; Hielkema, Tjitske; Reinders-Messelink, Heleen A.; Hadders-Algra, Mijna
• Is Part Of: Research in developmental disabilities. Volume 78(2018)
• Page Start: 66
• Page End: 77
• Publication Date: 2018-07
• Subjects: Postural control -- Infancy -- Cerebral palsy -- Cystic periventricular leukomalacia -- Electromyography; Developmental disabilities -- Periodicals; Developmentally disabled -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; Developmentally disabled children -- Education -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; Developmental Disabilities -- Periodicals; Disabled -- Periodicals; Mental Retardation -- rehabilitation -- Periodicals; Personnes atteintes de troubles du développement -- Recherche -- États-Unis -- Périodiques; Enfants atteints de troubles du développement -- Éducation -- Recherche -- États-Unis -- Périodiques; Développement, Troubles du -- Recherche -- États-Unis -- Périodiques; 616.858800
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2018.05.005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0891-4222

Abstract

Highlights: VHR-infants with and without CP show a similar postural development during infancy. VHR-infants with cPVL improve in direction-specificity during infancy. VHR-infants without cPVL do not change in direction-specificity during infancy. VHR-infants with cPVL do not change in postural fine-tuning during infancy. VHR-infants without cPVL do improve in postural fine-tuning during infancy. Abstract: Background: Development of postural problems in Cerebral Palsy (CP) is largely unknown. Postural muscle activity is organized into two levels: 1) direction-specificity; 2) fine-tuning of direction-specific activity. Aim: To study development of postural control until 21 months corrected age in subgroups of infants at very high-risk (VHR) of CP: a) with and without CP at 21 months; b) with and without cystic periventricular leukomalacia (cPVL), the brain lesion with highest risk of CP. Methods and procedures: Longitudinal electromyography recordings of postural muscles during reaching were made in 38 VHR-infants (severe brain lesion or clear neurological signs) between 4.7 and 22.6 months (18 CP, of which 8 with cPVL). Developmental trajectories were calculated using linear mixed effect models. Outcomes and results: VHR-infants with and without CP showed virtually similar postural development throughout infancy. The subgroup of VHR-infants with cPVL improved performance in direction-specificity with increasing age, while they performed throughout infancy worse in fine-tuning of postural adjustments than infants without cPVL. Conclusions and implications: VHR-infants with and without CP have a similar postural development that differs from published trajectories of typically developing infants. Infants with cPVL present from early age onwards dysfunctions in fine-tuning of postural adjustments; they focus on direction-specificity.