AUTHOR=Allievi Alessandro G. , Arichi Tomoki , Gordon Anne L. , Burdet Etienne TITLE=Technology-Aided Assessment of Sensorimotor Function in Early Infancy JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology VOLUME=5 YEAR=2014 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2014.00197 DOI=10.3389/fneur.2014.00197 ISSN=1664-2295 ABSTRACT=

There is a pressing need for new techniques capable of providing accurate information about sensorimotor function during the first 2 years of childhood. Here, we review current clinical methods and challenges for assessing motor function in early infancy, and discuss the potential benefits of applying technology-assisted methods. We also describe how the use of these tools with neuroimaging, and in particular functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), can shed new light on the intra-cerebral processes underlying neurodevelopmental impairment. This knowledge is of particular relevance in the early infant brain, which has an increased capacity for compensatory neural plasticity. Such tools could bring a wealth of knowledge about the underlying pathophysiological processes of diseases such as cerebral palsy; act as biomarkers to monitor the effects of possible therapeutic interventions; and provide clinicians with much needed early diagnostic information.