PREDICTION OF LOWER DEVELOPMENTAL PERFORMANCES OF HEALTHY NEONATES BYNEONATAL EEG-SLEEP MEASURES

Previous neurophysiologic studies from our laboratory have demonstrate d altered EEG-sleep behavior at conceptional term ages in healthy pret erm infant compared with a term cohort, Developmental assessments at 1 2 and 24 months of age of 16 children in each cohort were compared usi ng MANOVA, Differences were detected on MANOVA between each cohort on Bayley mental and motor performance scores, while social skills (Vinel and) and temperament (Carey) were similar, Healthy preterm infants had lower scores at 12 months of age (P <.0001) and 24 months (P <.04) th an term infants before adjustment for prematurity, No group difference s were observed after adjustment, For the combined cohort of 32 health y neonates, specific neonatal LEG-sleep measures were included as pred ictor variables in regression analyses with Bayley mental scores as ou tcome variables, Lower Bayley mental scores at 12 and 24 months were a ssociated with higher spectral EEG correlations, lower spectral EEG en ergies in the beta frequency ranges, fewer arousals per minute, lower rapid eye movements per minute, and shorter sleep latencies from awake state to active sleep, Significant associations were observed before adjustment for prematurity at both 12 and 24 months, and after adjustm ent at 12 months of age for lower spectral beta EEG energies, Lower so cioeconomic class also correlated with lower developmental scores, Eve n in the absence of major neonatal illnesses, brain adaptation to prem aturity influences later developmental outcome, Adjustment for ''age e quivalency'' may be required up to at least 24 months of age even in a healthy preterm population.