INA Early Intervention for Babies at Risk

Brain and nervous system development are experience dependent. Indeed, the sequence of development is laid out genetically, but early environmental events are major contributors to the system’s development and optimal functioning. Various fetal injuries and birth trauma make babies vulnerable to developmental problems: cerebral palsy, seizures, abnormal muscle tone, delayed developmental milestones, sensory integration, and more. Our goal in the study presented here was to improve the neurodevelopmental track of babies at risk using Infant Neural Aquatic. Parent and baby dyads who met initial criteria were recruited for a 5–6 months intervention period through an open invitation, followed by a conversation and signing informed consent. In the beginning and end of intervention period, participants completed questionnaires, and developmental features of the babies were assessed using analysis of neuro-motor and vocal characteristics. Significant neurodevelopmental delta between values at the end and beginning of intervention period, comparing intervention and control, is described, and the strength of INA specific intervention tool is analyzed

Neuroplasticity in Young Age: Computer-Based Early Neurodevelopment Classifier

Neurodevelopmental syndromes, a continuously growing issue, are impairments in the growth and development of the brain and CNS which are pronounced in a variety of emotional, cognitive, motor and social skills. Early assessment and detection of typical, clinically correlated early signs of developmental abnormalities is crucial for early and effective intervention, supporting initiation of early treatment and minimizing neurological and functional deficits. Successful early interventions would then direct to early time windows of higher neural plasticity. Various syndromes are reflected in early vocal and motor characteristics, making them suitable indicators of an infant’s neural development. Performance of the computerized classifiers we developed shows approximately 90% accuracy on a database of diagnosed babies. The results demonstrate the potential of vocal and motor analysis for computer-assisted early detection of neurodevelopmental insults

Cerebral Palsy:Early Markers of Clinical Phenotype and Functional Outcome

The Prechtl General Movement Assessment (GMA) has become a cornerstone assessment in early identification of cerebral palsy (CP), particularly during the fidgety movement period at 3-5 months of age. Additionally, assessment of motor repertoire, such as antigravity movements and postural patterns, which form the Motor Optimality Score (MOS), may provide insight into an infant's later motor function. This study aimed to identify early specific markers for ambulation, gross motor function (using the Gross Motor Function Classification System, GMFCS), topography (unilateral, bilateral), and type (spastic, dyskinetic, ataxic, and hypotonic) of CP in a large worldwide cohort of 468 infants. We found that 95% of children with CP did not have fidgety movements, with 100% having non-optimal MOS. GMFCS level was strongly correlated to MOS. An MOS > 14 was most likely associated with GMFCS outcomes I or II, whereas GMFCS outcomes IV or V were hardly ever associated with an MOS > 8. A number of different movement patterns were associated with more severe functional impairment (GMFCS III-V), including atypical arching and persistent cramped-synchronized movements. Asymmetrical segmental movements were strongly associated with unilateral CP. Circular arm movements were associated with dyskinetic CP. This study demonstrated that use of the MOS contributes to understanding later CP prognosis, including early markers for type and severity