Mechanically evoked perioral reflexes in premature and term human infants

Neurophysiological assessment of the preterm human neonatal oromotor system has been limited due to their fragile medical state, and methodological li mitations. A new, noninvasive technology known as the actifier was develope d and used to evoke perioral motor unit activity during non-nutritive suck in preterm infants. A significant ontologic trend for the early component o f the perioral reflex (R1) was discovered in the context of spontaneous, ce ntrally-patterned oromotor behavior. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rig hts reserved.