Early Intervention in the Neurodevelopment of Premature Infants during the First Six Months of Life

Irma Alvarado-Guerrero, Adrián Poblano, Erzsebet Marosi, María Corsi-Cabrera, Gloria A. Otero-Ojeda

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DOI: 10.4236/nm.2011.22015                

Abstract

Objective: Measure the effects of Early Intervention ad modum Katona (EI-K) in high-risk premature infants by means of clinical, neurobehavioral, and neurophysiologic tests. Method: We used the Amiel-Tison neurologic examination, the Bayley Scale of Infant Behavior, and electroencephalography (EEG) recordings at 42 weeks of conceptional age, and after 6 months of treatment EI-K (n = 14) and compared these results with those of a group of infants without early intervention (nEI) (n = 11). Results: We found better performance of infants in EI-K than nEI group after 6 months of treatment in neurologic and behavioral examination measurements, but found no differences in EEG comparisons. Conclusion: Our data suggest significant benefit of the use of EI-K program over n-EI in the neurologic and neurobe-havior examinations of premature infants after 6 months of age.

Keywords

Premature, High-risk Infants, Early Intervention, Brain Plasticity

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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