2017 Volume 44 Issue 2 Pages 115-123
Purpose: Spontaneous movements of infants aged 2 to 5 months have been referred to as fidgety movements (FM). Assessments of FM based on either visual observation or computer-based analysis have been performed to predict future neurological impairments. In this study, we evaluated how the differences in FM are related to differences in characteristics of spontaneous movements of the limbs.
Methods: Seventy-seven very low birth weight infants were included in this study. We used video recordings of the spontaneous movements of participants in the supine position, at 49 to 60 weeks postmenstrual age. First, we classified the participants into three groups (normal FM, absent FM, and abnormal FM) by the visual gestalt perception according to Prechtl’s method. Second, we examined the following seven indices from two-dimensional trajectories of all limbs: (1) average velocity, (2) number of movement units, (3) kurtosis of acceleration, (4) jerk index, (5) average curvature, (6) lateral mobility index, and (7) correlation between limb velocities. We compared each index between normal FM groups and absent FM group.
Results: The average curvature in the absent FM group was significantly lower than that in the normal FM group. Furthermore, 24 out of 33 cases in the absent and abnormal FM group showed later developmental disability (developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, and cerebral palsy).
Conclusion: Our results suggest that higher average curvature of the lower limbs represents the presence of FM. The present study may guide efforts in quantification of characteristics of FM and detecting earlier signs of developmental disability.
