The impact of early therapeutic intervention on the central pattern generator in premature newborns - a preliminary study and literature review
Czajkowska, M.; Fonfara, A.; Królak-Olejnik, B.; Michnikowski, M.; Gólczewski, T.
Developmental Period Medicine 23(3): 178-183
2019
ISSN/ISBN: 1428-345X PMID: 31654996 Document Number: 698407
The aim: To study the effect of therapeutic intervention on the improvement of the rhythmicity of non-nutritive and nutritive sucking in premature newborns and on the suck central pattern generator. Material and methods: Stimulation of the breast zone was performed in two premature newborns by means of the Vojta method. Intraoral pressure was measured during non-nutritive and nutritive sucking before and after this therapeutic intervention. The maximum negative pressures generated during individual sucks and the intervals between sucks were analysed. Results: The stimulation of the breast zone using the Vojta method seems to have no impact on the duration of individual sucking episodes. However, a significant improvement in the rhythmicity and regularity of sucking was observed in both newborns: the coefficient of quartile deviation for the intervals decreased from 15% and 11% to 13% and 6%, respectively, and for the maximum negative pressures it decreased from 24% and 27% to 9% and 19%, respectively. Additionally, the median value of the maximum negative pressure decreased in both newborns: from -39 and -37 mmHg to -45 and -60 mmHg, respectively. Conclusions: The stimulation of the breast zone using the Vojta method seems to have a direct impact on the central pattern generator, which improves the rhythmicity as well as the regularity of both non-nutritive and nutritive sucking.