Peer-reviewed article
The hidden footprint of prenatal STORCH exposure: Hammersmith Infant Neurological Assessment trajectories in a longitudinal cohort across the first months after birth.
Daniele Soares-Marangoni, Amanda de Oliveira Arguelho, Cintia Harumi Nishikawa, Álvaro Hidalgo-Robles, Tathiana Ghisi de Souza et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study followed 79 infants prenatally exposed to STORCH infections (a group of maternal infections) and compared them with unexposed infants over their first nine months of life. Researchers used the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Assessment (HINE) to measure neurological development at 3, 6, and 9 months. Infants exposed to STORCH infections had lower neurological scores overall and higher rates of suboptimal performance, but both groups showed similar developmental progress over time. Early HINE scores were good predictors of neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12-18 months.
Key points
- STORCH-exposed infants had persistently lower neurological scores across all measurement points compared to unexposed infants
- Both groups showed parallel improvement in scores over the first nine months (no interaction between group and age)
- The exposed group had higher rates of suboptimal neurological performance (p = 0.02)
- No significant difference in cerebral palsy risk between groups
- Higher HINE scores at 9 months were the strongest predictor of better neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12-18 months in exposed infants
Limitations
The document does not specify the countries where the study was conducted. The study does not describe the specific characteristics of the STORCH infections or compare long-term outcomes beyond 18 months.
Abstract
AIM: To examine neurological trajectories during the first months after birth in infants prenatally exposed to STORCH infections compared with controls, and to explore whether early HINE performance is associated with outcomes at 12-18 months. METHODS: This longitudinal cohort included 79 prenatally STORCH-exposed infants and unexposed controls [38.25 (2.38) weeks' gestation; 53.16% boys]. The HINE was administered at 3, 6, and 9 months (age corrected for prematurity). Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12-18 months were retrieved from neuropsychological records. Linear mixed-effects models assessed HINE trajectories; logistic regression analyzed associations with atypical outcomes. Group comparisons evaluated cerebral palsy risk and suboptimality. RESULTS: HINE scores increased over time in both groups (p < 0.001), with lower scores in the exposed group and no group-by-age interaction (p > 0.05). The exposed group showed higher rates of suboptimal neurological performance (p = 0.02), but no differences in scores indicating a high risk of cerebral palsy (p > 0.41). Higher HINE scores at all time points were associated with lower odds of atypical outcome among STORCH-exposed infants, with the strongest association at 9 months. CONCLUSION: Prenatal STORCH exposure was associated with persistently lower HINE scores despite parallel developmental trajectories. Early HINE performance was predictive of later neurodevelopmental outcomes, supporting its value as a longitudinal marker of vulnerability in this population.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Longitudinal neurological assessment using the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Assessment (HINE) at 3, 6, and 9 months corrected age
- Population
- 79 prenatally STORCH-exposed infants and unexposed controls at 38.25 weeks' gestation; 53.16% boys
Key finding
HINE scores increased over time in both groups (p < 0.001), but exposed group had lower scores throughout
Soares-Marangoni et al. · PubMed (US National Library of Medicine) · 28 Sept 2026