Authors
Peter Aerts, Falk Mielke, Charlotte Vanden Hole, Merel JW Van Gorp, Chris Van Ginneken
Publication date
2023/9
Journal
Integrative and Comparative Biology
Volume
63
Issue
3
Pages
610-624
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Description
Intrauterine undernutrition in humans typically results in low birth weight ([small for gestational age] SGA) and delayed postnatal neuromotor maturation. Since SGA and intrauterine growth retardation are also common in domestic pigs, piglets are premised as models to study delayed motor development. Applied to the locomotor paradigm, however, questions emerge: (i) how to map the developmental time scale of the precocial model onto the altricial target species and (ii) how to distinguish size from maturation effects? Gait data were collected at self-selected voluntary walking speed during early development (0–96 hours postpartum; pp) for SGA- and normal ([appropriate for gestational age] AGA) piglets. Dimensionless spatiotemporal gait characteristics (according to dynamic similarity) become invariant already after 4 hours pp, suggesting rapid postnatal neuromotor maturation. Moreover, dimensionless …
Total citations
2023202411
Scholar articles
P Aerts, F Mielke, C Vanden Hole, MJW Van Gorp… - Integrative and Comparative Biology, 2023