Mobility and Attention Capacity in Former Premature Children

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Attention functions have a major impact on children's social and school behavior. They are an important issue for prematurely born children often seen as having learning difficulties and being restless, when it could be an adaptative answer to attention disorders. The aim of this study is to evaluate attention capacity in former premature children aged 6-7 years old with regards to different postures or mobility, for the attention functions of orienting, alerting and executive control. The Attention Network Test using reaction time and accuracy to visual stimuli will be used to evaluate attention functions in each posture and mobility.

Detailed Description
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Attention functions have a major impact on children's social, school and emotional adjustment. They are one of the most common issues for prematurely born children with implications in academic and social-behavioral functioning. Prematurely born infants are often seen as having excessive mobility or being restless when it could be an adaptative answer to attention disorders leading to learning difficulties. Respecting spontaneous mobility could improve attention performance in vulnerable children. The aim of the study is to evaluate global attention performance of former premature children at the preschool age of 6 to 7 years. This evaluation will be done in three usual postures or mobility, and for the 3 attentional functions of orienting, alerting or executive control. They will be compared within the prematurely born children group and to term born controls of the same age. The Attention Network Test adapted to children by Rueda et al (Neuropsychologia 2004) using reaction time and accuracy to visual stimuli will be used to evaluate attention functions. Presentation of stimuli through virtual video glasses and collection of answers will be done thanks to a specific software.

Official Title
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Posture and Mobility Influence on Attention Capacity in Former Premature Children at 6 Years of Age.

Conditions
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Attention Concentration Difficulty, Mobility Limitation

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: speed and accuracy answer to visual stimuli


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Main Inclusion Criteria: Children born before 35 weeks gestation and routinely followed for their prematurity in the follow-up clinic of the Maternite Regionale Universitaire Healthy term born children recruited after information leaflet displayed in the University but not the Hospital Main Exclusion Criteria: Children with a visual or motor disability preventing the realization of the test

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 6 Years
Maximum Age: 8 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Attention capacity will be compared in three situations of posture/mobility in a group of prematurely born children, and compared to the same situations in a group of term born children
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Prematurely born children<br>Speed and accuracy answer to visual stimuli evaluated in 3 distinct posture/mobility situations | Other: speed and accuracy answer to visual stimuli<br>* A yellow fish swimming over a blue-green background will appear on the screen of virtual glasses. The child will have to give as fast as possible the direction of the fish pushing the left or right button of a computer mouse<br>|
| Active Comparator: Term born children<br>Speed and accuracy answer to visual stimuli evaluated in 3 distinct posture/mobility situations | Other: speed and accuracy answer to visual stimuli<br>* A yellow fish swimming over a blue-green background will appear on the screen of virtual glasses. The child will have to give as fast as possible the direction of the fish pushing the left or right button of a computer mouse<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reaction time to respond to visual stimuli appearance | 48 trials of swimming fishes displayed for a maximum of 2500 msec in different conditions: the reaction time in msec will be recorded and evaluated | 5 minutes | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Accuracy to the response to visual stimuli direction | 48 trials of swimming fishes to the right or the left hand side where the child has to give the right direction of the fish | 5 minutes | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Prematurely born children, Attention function, Posture, Mobility