Neurobehavior of preterm infants from 32 to 48 weeks post-menstrual age

Aim:evaluate prospectively the neurobehavior of preterm infants (pt).study design:cohort of pt (gestational age(ga) <32weeks), evaluated biweekly from 32 to 48 weeks post-menstrual age (pma) by nicu network neurobehavioral scale (nnns). scores were compared by repeated measures anova. scores of pt were compared to those of full-term infants, matched for gender by anova.results:39 pt (mean ± sd: ga 29.2 ± 2.0 weeks; birthweight 1100 ± 331g) were studied. as pma progressed, pt showed increasing scores in habituation, attention, arousal, regulation, maneuvers for orientation, quality of movements and hypertonicity, and decreasing scores in excitability, lethargy, non-optimal reflexes, asymmetry, hypotonicity, and signs of stress/withdrawal. at 40 weeks pma, pt were similar to term neonates assessed in the first days of life, except for less habituation, regulation capacity and excitability, and more hypotonia.conclusion:at 40 weeks pma, pt reached the performance of full-term neonates evaluated in the first days of life in most neurobehavior domains.