BAMBI Project

Title	BAMBI: Neuro-biomechanical aspects determining the motor behavior in infants with high-risk of neuromotor impairments
Dates	Started in January 2023
Principal investigator	Olivier Baud (Division of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care, HUG), Stéphane Armand (K-Lab, UNIGE/HUG), Stéphane Sizonenko (Division of Child Development and Growth, Department of Pediatrics, UNIGE/HUG)
Other investigators	Nathalie De Beukelaer (K-Lab, UNIGE/HUG), Eduardo Farias Sanches (Division of Child Development and Growth, Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology and Obstretics, UNIGE/HUG)
Internships	Sabine Johner (UNIGE, Programe de Recherche pour étudiant-es en médecine. August 2023 - September 2023), Laura Hänni-Del Zio (ZHAW, Master Physiotherapy. September 2023-June 2024), Laure Timestit (UNIGE, Master Neurosciences. September 2023- June 2025), Alice Paatz (UNIGE, Master Medicine, September 2023-June 2025), Maria Graf (Smith College, June-August 2024)
Collaborations	Marianne Barbu-Roth (Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center (INCC), Université Paris Cité, Paris, France)
Institutional collaborations
Funding	FNS-212517 ; Fondation Ernst et Lucie Schmidheiny ; Société Académique de Genève
Keywords	Infants; Developmental brain injury; Muscle growth; Motor deficits kinematics; EMG
Website	https://recherche.hug.ch/etudes/etude-bamb
Related articles	Coming soon!

Abstract
Prematurity and the associated causes of perinatal brain damage are major risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders appearing from birth. Consequently to impaired brain development, potential neuromotor deficits might develop early in life. However, their consequences on early motor behaviour and developmental trajectory during the first year of life remain unclear. In this project aim to reveal the early neuro-biomechanical determinants of motor behaviour in infants at high risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. Using advanced, instrumented tests, we aim to study the link between muscles and movement, and how these neuro-biomechanical determinants evolve during the first year of life. These examinations are planned for high-risk infants (e.g. premature birth, cases of asphyxia, etc.) compared with a group of infants with typical development. This project is a collaboration between Prof. Stéphane Armand of the Willy Taillard Kinesiology Lab at the University Hospital of Geneva (HUG)-University of Geneva, Prof. Olivier Baud of the Neonatology Unit at the University Hospital of Geneva (HUG) and Prof. Sizonenko of the Development and Growth Division, Department of Pediatrics (HUG).