Maturation of Sensori-Motor Functional Responses in the Preterm Brain.

ABSTRACT: Preterm birth engenders an increased risk of conditions like cerebral palsy and therefore this time may be crucial for the brain's developing sensori-motor system. However, little is known about how cortical sensori-motor function matures at this time, whether development is influenced by experience, and about its role in spontaneous motor behavior. We aimed to systematically characterize spatial and temporal maturation of sensori-motor functional brain activity across this period using functional MRI and a custom-made robotic stimulation device. We studied 57 infants aged from 30 + 2 to 43 + 2 weeks postmenstrual age. Following both induced and spontaneous right wrist movements, we saw consistent positive blood oxygen level-dependent functional responses in the contralateral (left) primar

SUBMITTER: Allievi AG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4677983 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature