Affiliations: [a] Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neurology, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA | [b] Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA | [x] Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit, HealthONE Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital, Aurora, CO, USA | [y] Neurobehavioral Disorders Program, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Jennifer Armstrong-Wells, MD, MPH, 13123 East 16th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. Tel.: +1 720 777 1861; Fax: +1 720 777 7285; E-mail: armstrong-wells.jennifer@tchden.org
Abstract: Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) from perinatal asphyxia (PA) has long been recognized as an important cause of lasting motor impairment in term newborns. NE has also, more recently, been implicated as an important risk factor for cognitive and behavioral difficulties as these children age. Newborns with mild NE appear to have normal neurocognitive outcomes, while those survivors with severe NE tend to have profound impediments. Yet, newborns with moderate NE seem to exhibit a wide range of cognitive outcomes – regardless of motor function – making prognostication in these children difficult in the newborn period. Since deficits are often subtle and remote from the initial injury, cognitive impairment is likely underdiagnosed in survivors of moderate perinatal NE. Therefore, it is important for ongoing formal neuropsychological evaluation, as well as parental and teacher education, to help aid in the cognitive and behavioral rehabilitation resulting from NE and perinatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
