The birth premature babies with hypoxic-ischemic damage to the neutral system with the subsequent development of hypoxic encephalopathy (HIE). Monitoring of the mental development and neurological status of such prematurely born children is carried out taking into account the corrected age and traditional scales.

To compare indicators of psychomotor development in preterm infants (gestational age < 32 weeks) with and without hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

A prospective study was carried out in the neurological department. The study included data from infants with a gestational age of < 32 weeks of gestation. Scale score immediately after birth and at corrected ages in the first, third and sixth months of life (data analysis according to Griffiths Scales).

Data from 95 newborns were eligible for conclusion. Of these, 67 children took part in the study, 32,8% of them were diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. In newborns with HIE gestational age at birth was less so they received parenteral nutrition for a longer time, the body weight gained during the hospital stay was less, they needed more time to switch to enteral nutrition. And only at the 3rd (80% of children) and 6th months of life, there were no statistically significant differences in psychomotor development between groups with and without hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

In this study, it was shown that in premature infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, normal indicators of psychomotor development and neurological status were restored at the corrected age only by 6 months of age.

No significant relationships.

Maternal age has progressively increased in industrialized countries. Most studies focus on the consequences of delayed motherhood for women's physical and mental health, but little is known about potential effects on infants' neurodevelopment. This prospective study examines the association between maternal age and offspring neurodevelopment in terms of both psychomotor development (Ages & Stages Questionnaires-3) and emotional competences (Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire).

We evaluated a cohort of healthy pregnant women aged 20–41 years and their offspring, assessed at 38 weeks gestation (n = 131) and 24 months after birth (n = 101). Potential age-related variables were considered (paternal age, education level, parity, social support, maternal cortisol levels, and maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms). Bayesian ordinal regression models were performed for each neurodevelopmental outcome.

Maternal age was negatively associated with poor child development in terms of personal-social skills [odds ratio (OR) −0.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77–0.99] and with difficult temperament in terms of worse emotional regulation (OR −0.13, 95% CI 0.78–0.96) and lower positive affect (OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.75–0.95). As for age-related variables, whereas maternal anxiety symptoms and cortisol levels were also correlated with poor child development and difficult temperament, maternal social support and parental educational level were associated with better psychomotor and emotional competences.

Increasing maternal age may be associated with child temperament difficulties and psychomotor delay in terms of social interaction skills. Early detection of neurodevelopment difficulties in these babies would allow preventive psychosocial interventions to avoid future neuropsychiatric disorders.

We examined whether or not the effect of elevated blood lead levels on children's psychomotor development was modified by their nutritional status.

Anthropometry, developmental quotients (DQs), blood lead levels and haemoglobin were measured in lead exposed and unexposed children with different levels of nutritional status. Social background and maternal height and verbal intelligence were also measured. Testers, anthropometrists and interviewers established reliabilities with a trainer before the study began.

Children were from two suburban areas in Kingston, Jamaica. All measurements on the children were carried out at a research unit. Social background and maternal measurements were carried out at the children's homes.

The exposed group comprised 58 children (3–6 years) attending the same preschool which was situated in a lead contaminated environment. The unexposed group comprised 53 children attending a nearby preschool without lead contamination.

The exposed children had significantly higher blood lead levels and lower DQs, and their homes had poorer facilities than the unexposed children. The deficit in DQ was greater (10.6 points) among children with weight for height less than –1 SD (National Center for Health Statistics references) than among better nourished Children (2 points).

Undernourished children exposed to lead may have more serious developmental deficits than better nourished children.