Codevelopment of Sensory and Motor Function in Infants At Risk for Cerebral Palsy

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PROJECT SUMMARY Infants born prematurely (gestational age <32 weeks) are at risk (AR) for cerebral palsy (CP). CP is the most common pediatric movement disorder and is caused by damage to brain areas during development. Children with CP have motor and sensory impairments that cause muscle weakness, poor coordination, and difficulty grasping objects. These impairments prevent functional independence and reduce social participation. How these impairments arise throughout the course of life is not well understood. This is due in part to a limited understanding of how sensory and motor systems interact during development to organize brain circuits. The gap in knowledge is particularly problematic because the timing of motor and sensory brain area establishment (i.e. during the first year of life) coincides with a period in which the brain is highly plastic. Interventions for infants with CP are emerging, but little is known about the neural systems that can be targeted to optimize these novel interventions. We will longitudinally track infant movements and sensory function in relation to brain development in typically developing infants and infants AR for CP. By characterizing the development of sensorimotor function and brain activation patterns, we will identify key mechanisms of motor recovery. Understanding mechanisms of motor and sensory development during this age could provide potential targets for activity-dependent interventions at a time when the nervous systems is highly malleable. Thus, this project will provide novel insights aligned with the NINDS mission of advancing fundamental knowledge about the brain to improve treatments for neurological disease. My long-term goal is to develop a program of research that uses mechanistic information to develop evidence-based therapies that improve function in infants with CP. To accomplish this goal, I have developed a rigorous career development plan under the mentorship of an interdisciplinary team of researchers with expertise in content areas directly related to my training goals. My career development activities will focus on: 1) obtaining pragmatic professional development experiences to accelerate my career path, 2) developing expertise in integrated measurements of sensorimotor behavior and brain activity in infants, and 3) acquiring a strong foundation in clinical design and quantitative analyses for longitudinal studies. This training will position me to establish an active and rigorous research program that will advance knowledge and reduce the burden of pediatric brain disorders.