Sensory modulation in preterm children: Theoretical perspective and systematic review

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 2; p. e0170828
• Main Authors: Bröring, Tinka, Oostrom, Kim J, Lafeber, Harrie N, Jansma, Elise P, Oosterlaan, Jaap
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 09-02-2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Age; Apoptosis; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Autism; Babies; Behavior; Biology and Life Sciences; Birth weight; Brain; Brain injuries; Brain injury; Child; Child Development; Child, Preschool; Children; Cognition; Complications; Critical Care; Cytokines; Environmental effects; Environmental factors; Female; Gestation; Grade repetition; Head injuries; Health aspects; Humans; Hypoxia; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature - growth & development; Infants; Inflammation; Information processing; Intensive care; Ischemia; Literature reviews; Male; Management; Medical libraries; Medicine and Health Sciences; Modulation; Neonatal intensive care units; Neonates; Newborn babies; Pain; People and Places; Premature birth; Premature infants; Preschool children; Reviews; Risk factors; Sensory integration; Sensory integration disorders; Sensory perception; Sepsis; Social Sciences; Substantia alba; Netherlands
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170828

Neurodevelopmental sequelae in preterm born children are generally considered to result from cerebral white matter damage and noxious effects of environmental factors in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Cerebral white matter damage is associated with sensory processing problems in terms of registration, integration and modulation. However, research into sensory processing problems and, in particular, sensory modulation problems, is scarce in preterm children.
This review aims to integrate available evidence on sensory modulation problems in preterm infants and children (<37 weeks of gestation) and their association with neurocognitive and behavioral problems.
Relevant studies were extracted from PubMed, EMBASE.com and PsycINFO following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Selection criteria included assessment of sensory modulation in preterm born children (<37 weeks of gestation) or with prematurity as a risk factor.
Eighteen studies were included. Results of this review support the presence of sensory modulation problems in preterm children. Although prematurity may distort various aspects of sensory modulation, the nature and severity of sensory modulation problems differ widely between studies.
Sensory modulation problems may play a key role in understanding neurocognitive and behavioral sequelae in preterm children. Some support is found for a dose-response relationship between both white matter brain injury and length of NICU stay and sensory modulation problems.