Cerebral motor function in very premature-at-birth adolescents: a brain stimulation exploration of kangaroo mother care effects

• Published in: Acta Paediatrica Vol. 101; no. 10; pp. 1045 - 1053
• Main Authors: Schneider, Cyril, Charpak, Nathalie, Ruiz-Peláez, Juan G, Tessier, Réjean
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2012; Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Babies; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - growth & development; Case-Control Studies; Child development; Female; General aspects; Humans; Infant, Extremely Premature; Infant, Newborn; Kangaroo mother care; Kangaroo-Mother Care Method; Male; Medical sciences; Motor Activity - physiology; Motor function; Neural Pathways - growth & development; Premature birth; Teenagers; Term Birth; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Human; Premature; Brain; Pediatrics; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Kangaroo mother care; Central nervous system; Exploration; Birth; Encephalon; Mother; Adolescent; Kangaroo care; Adolescents; Motor function; Motricity
• ISSN: 0803-5253; 1651-2227
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2012.02770.x

Aim:  Given that prematurity has deleterious effects on brain networking development beyond childhood, the study explored whether an early intervention such as Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in very preterm preemies could have influenced brain motor function up to adolescence. Methods:  Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) of 39 adolescents born very prematurely (<33 weeks’ gestational age, 21 having received KMC after birth, 18 Controls with no KMC) and nine adolescents born at term (>37 weeks’ gestational age, >2500 g) to assess the functional integrity of motor circuits in each hemisphere (motor planning) and between hemispheres (callosal function). Results:  All TMS outcomes were similar between KMC and term adolescents, with typical values as in healthy adults, and better than in Controls. KMC adolescents presented faster conduction times revealing more efficient M1 cell synchronization (p < 0.05) and interhemispheric transfer time (p < 0.0001), more frequent inhibitory processes with a better control between hemispheres (p < 0.0001). Conclusion:  The enhanced synchronization, conduction times and connectivity of cerebral motor pathways in the KMC group suggests that the Kangaroo Mother Care positively influenced the premature brain networks and synaptic efficacy up to adolescence.