Modeling neurophysiological and psychomotor relevant criteria in children with motor dysfunction

Abstract

Background. Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of childhood disability among diseases of the nervous system, the prevalence of which averages 2.5 cases per 1,000 children.Aim. To identify relevant indicators in relation to the prediction of delayed rates of neuropsychic development in children and the formation of cerebral palsy in children 5–8 years old using mathematical modeling.Materials and methods. The study included 100 patients aged 5–8 years: 79 patients with neurological disorders and deviations in psycho-speech development, 21 patients – comparison group. The examination of children in both groups included: analysis of the child’s life history, analysis of psychomotor development in the first year of life, analysis of morbidity in the first year of life, assessment of psychomotor development at the time of the study, electroneuromyography using stimulation and superficial electroneuromyography, as well as ultrasound examination of the lower leg muscles with assessment of the functional state and muscle density using fibroscan.For statistical processing of the obtained data, descriptive statistics were performed. Determination of the statistical significance of indicators was carried out using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test for continuously distributed values and Fisher’s exact test for discrete values. One-hot coding was used to represent categorical features. The analysis of the obtained data was carried out using a Python program using the pandas, numpy, scikit-learn, and boruta libraries.Results and conclusion. For children with deviations in neuropsychic development, significant early diagnostic markers are parameters of psychomotor development and neurological status (age when the child began to hold his head, decreased strength of the flexors of the foot and hip, level of walking) and instrumental examination (ultrasound of muscles thighs, electroneuromyography) – changes in the density and parameters of electrical excitability of muscles, which can serve as an early diagnostic sign of the development of motor dysfunction and an indicator for the formation of a trajectory of rehabilitation therapy.