Little information is available regarding the behavioral repertoire of healthy, yet prematurely born, infants. To address this problem, the Assessment of Preterm Infants' Behavior (APIB) was used 10 to 14 days after birth in a cross-sectional comparison of 42 healthy newborn infants: 16 full-term infants (gestational age at birth [GA] = 40 weeks), 13 close to full-term infants (GA = 37 weeks), and 13 preterm infants (GA = 34 weeks). Groups differed on four background variables that were used as covariates in subsequent analyses. Significant group differences were found on 12 of 29 outcome variables, including measures of autonomic, motor, state, attention/interaction, and self-regulatory systems, as well as a measure of overall behavioral organization. Pairwise comparison showed that preterm and full-term infants differed on all 12 variables whereas preterm and close to full-term infants differed on 11 of the 12 variables. Furthermore, full-term and close to full-term infants differed on 4 of the 12 variables, including measures of the autonomic, motor, and state systems. Full-term and close to full-term infants were behaviorally more similar to one another than either group was to the preterm infants, yet there were important differences even between full-term and close to full-term infants.
The pattern of output of mitral and tufted cells of the rat olfactory bulb (OB) to layer Ia overlying the pars externa (pE) of the anterior olfactory nucleus (AON) has been studied in the rat by iontophoresis of horseradish peroxidase and Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin. These agents labeled mitral and tufted cells and at least the proximal portion of their axons. In most cases we observed small branches from axons of the lateral olfactory tract that appear to terminate in the region of the pE AON, while the main axon could often be traced for considerable distances past these branches. These branches are assumed to terminate in the pE AON because they could not be traced to other terminal regions, because they ramify in layer Ia, and because they usually show small swellings characteristic of axons in terminal regions. Although each ramification could be extensive, we found that the positions of these small branches were related to the positions of the injections within the OB. Dorsal medial injections labeled dorsal branches. Ventral medial injections labeled ventral branches. Injections on the lateral face of the OB labeled intermediate branches. The centers of the regions within which branches were labeled were strongly correlated with the positions of the injection around the circumference. Comparison of the anterior-posterior axis of the OB produced no such strong correlation. Reconstructions of axons showed that terminal branches arise from both mitral and tufted cells, although at least some mitral cells are shown not to have such branches in the pE AON. Studies of the patterns of dendrites and terminals in the pE AON indicate that this region has the same pattern of layer Ia and Ib terminals seen in other olfactory cortical regions. The pE AON cell layer is intercalated just below the boundary between layers Ia and Ib. Since dendrites of the underlying pars lateralis of the AON (pL AON) penetrate into layer Ia over much of the pE AON, it is necessary to remember that at least part of the pL AON may also receive topographically organized inputs.
Infants cared for in an NICU with an individualized developmental care approach showed improved motor system functioning compared to infants cared for in the same NICU before the approach was adopted. It is speculated that the individualized developmental approach to care based in the synactive theory of development contributed to the documented improvements. This finding would indicate that functioning of preterm infants, particularly in terms of their motor systems, can be influenced by modification in caregiving.
Cytochrome oxidase staining of the rat olfactory bulb external plexiform layer (EPL) produces a darkly stained intermediate zone bordered by lightly stained superficial and deep zones. Similar zonal staining was seen in cats, rabbits, and hamsters. These zones vary in relative thickness around the circumference of the olfactory bulb; the deep zone is proportionally thicker in the most dorsal and ventral parts of the bulb. Tufted cell somata are unevenly distributed within the EPL; the outer part of the EPL has more somata. The distribution of the cytochrome oxidase reaction product shows that the darkly stained intermediate zone is not produced by staining of tufted cell somata. Zones of cytochrome oxidase staining correspond to the sublaminar distribution of mitral and tufted cell basal dendrites. This was demonstrated by labeling mitral and tufted cells with small extracellular horseradish peroxidase injections and processing alternate sections for horseradish peroxidase and for cytochrome oxidase. Because there was cross-reaction of the cytochrome oxidase procedure with horseradish peroxidase, it was possible to trace many neurons through both series of sections. Middle tufted cells of the superficial EPL have basal dendrites confined to the superficial zone of light cytochrome oxidase staining. Internal tufted cells and middle tufted cells of the intermediate zone send their basal dendrites into the intermediate zone. One group of mitral cells (type I) has basal dendrites confined to the deep zone of lighter cytochrome oxidase staining. A second group of mitral cells (type II) and tufted cells of the intermediate EPL has basal dendrites primarily confined to the intermediate zone of dark cytochrome oxidase staining. The correlation of the enzyme staining with the dendritic laminar patterns supports the existence of three relatively distinct sublaminae in the EPL and supports the designation of two types of mitral cells. The staining pattern also provides an independent method for evaluating the sublaminae of the EPL without the necessity of labeling individual groups of cells. Finally, the staining pattern suggests that the intermediate zone of the EPL may be subjected to more tonic synaptic input, causing it to have an increased level of metabolic activity.
An art-based occupation group using scrapbooking was an effective brief intervention to reduce parent anxiety in the neonatal intensive care unit; parent interviews suggested that participation has broad clinical implications for parent well-being.
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