Abstract
The development of the central nervous system (CNS) is traced through four overlapping processes: neurogenesis, migration, synaptogenesis and myelination. The complexity of CNS development reflects the complexity of sensomotor, cognitive, affective and behavioral development. One of the methods reflecting successful development of the CNS is investigation of behavioral patterns pre- and postnatally. After the immobile phase, the first fetal movements appear at 7.5–8 weeks with spontaneous trunk and limb vermicular movements. After several days general movements (GM) and startles appear, involving the trunk, head and limbs, with an expanding motor repertoire with increasing gestational age from 10 weeks onward. It has been shown that the repertoire of fetal movements consists exclusively of motor patterns that can also be observed postnatally, and that there is a high degree of continuity of neural functions before and after birth. However, the newborn's behavioral repertoire expands rapidly with patterns never observed in the fetus, such as the Moro response. Specific fetal movement patterns called GM are maintained for several weeks postnatally. Afterwards, this fetal movement pattern disappears and is replaced by a qualitatively different, transient ‘fidgety’ movement pattern. The question of how fetal or neonatal behavior should be assessed raises an essential point in fetal and neonatal studies: the distinction between ‘quantity’ and ‘quality’ of motor patterns. Lack of fluency and existence of considerable variation and complexity are the main characteristics of abnormal GM. Four-dimensional (4D) ultrasound as a new diagnostic tool offers a practical means for assessment of neurological development, as well as for detection of anatomical pathology. The first reports have proved that 4D sonography can assist in the better understanding of both somatic and motor development of the fetus. Videotaping according to Prechtl's methodology is the best for the assessment of neonatal behavior. According to our research, there is good correlation of behavioral patterns from the late fetal and early neonatal period. Continuing research on behavior from the fetal to the neonatal period is a promising activity, with the potential for early detection of neurological impairment and better understanding of the etiopathogenesis of cerebral palsy.