Neuromotor Behavior of Infants at 3 and 6 Months Prenatally Exposed to SARS-CoV-2: a Brief Report.

Prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection may be a risk factor for neurological impairment. This study describes the neuromotor behavior of infants prenatally exposed to SARS-CoV-2 using gold standard tools for early detection of neurological impairment. Sixteen infants were included in this exploratory longitudinal study. Infants were assessed at 3 months using the Prechtl General Movement Assessment, and at 6 months using the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination. Infants might have presented neuromotor limitations at 3 months; however, they progressed to a low-risk outcome of neurological impairment at 6 months.

Motor repertoire in 3- to 5- month-old infants with prenatal exposure to syphilis and toxoplasmosis.

AIM: To characterize the motor repertoire of 3- to 5-month-old infants who were prenatally exposed to the infectious agents of syphilis and toxoplasmosis. METHODS: Exploratory observational study that evaluated 15 exposed infants (34.4 ± 3.5 weeks gestation) recruited from a referral center. Age assessment ranged 12-20 (median 12) weeks post-term. General Movement Assessment, including the Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R), was used to assess the global quality of fidgety movements (FMs) and to quantify and detail coexisting motor patterns. Clinical variables were also collected. Later motor outcomes were obtained from medical reports when possible. RESULTS: MOS-R ranged 10-26 (median 24). There was a higher proportion of infants with normal (80.0 %) than aberrant FMs, but the proportion of infants with reduced MOS-R (80.0 %) was higher compared to optimal MOS-R. One infant with aberrant FMs was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Only 13.3 % of the infants showed smooth and fluent movement character. All observed tongue movements were abnormal. CONCLUSION: Infants had predominantly normal FMs, but with reduced MOS-R and abnormalities in the coexisting motor repertoire.

Association between the General Movement Optimality Score and clinical features in newborns during hospitalization: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: To describe the General Movements (GMs) of hospitalized newborns to verify if their global and detailed GMA are related and if their GMs are associated with clinical features. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Thirty-eight preterm and full-term newborns, who were hospitalized in the neonatal intermediate care unit of a reference hospital, were included. Prechtl's General Movement Assessment (GMA), including the General Movement Optimality Score (GMOS) list, was used as an assessment tool. Clinical variables, such as preterm birth, birthweight, length of hospitalization, Apgar scores, pregnancy problems, admission at neonatal intensive care unit, use of invasive mechanical ventilation, and brain imaging findings were also collected. Newborns were videoed at a single time for 3 min before discharge. RESULTS: Most newborns presented GMs with normal or poor repertoire quality. GMOS ranged from 17 to 42 points. Scores were lower in abnormal GMs. Abnormal GMs were associated with preterm birth, length of hospital stay >30 days and birthweight <2500 g. Accordingly, lower GMOSs were also associated with preterm birth, a birthweight <2500 g and a hospital stay >30 days but also with the invasive mechanical ventilation application. CONCLUSION: Preterm and full-term newborns presented normal or abnormal GMs during hospitalization. Preterm birth, low birthweight, longer hospital stay and a time period of invasive ventilation were associated with worse GM behaviors.