MINOR NEUROLOGICAL DYSFUNCTION AFTER THE ONSET OF PUBERTY - ASSOCIATION WITH PERINATAL EVENTS

In order to study the hypotheses that puberty is related to a decrease of minor neurological dysfunction (MND) and that persisting MND is as sociated with perinatal factors, two groups (174 normal, 172 MND) of t he Groningen Perinatal Project were followed from 12 to 14 years. At 1 4 years almost all the children had entered puberty (n = 329) defined as the presence of three or more puberty signs. In the MND group 55% o f the children were normal at 14 years and in 45% MND signs were still present, though in a less extensive form. The latter phenomenon was m ost clear in children who had just begun puberty. The effect of pubert y was similar in both sexes. MND which persisted into puberty was rela ted to neonatal neurological deviancy, lower social class, lower obste trical optimality score and male sex. After differentiation with speci fic MND clusters, it appeared that fine manipulative disability was as sociated with neonatal neurological deviancy, with minor physical anom alies and with lower social class; choreiform dyskinesia with asphyxia ; hypotonia with constitutionally related factors; and coordination pr oblems with prematurity (< 32 weeks).