Temporal organization of fetal behavior from 24-weeks gestation onwards in normal and complicated pregnancies

Nijhuis, Ilse J. M.; Hof, Judith ten; Nijhuis, Jan G.; Mulder, E.J.H.; Narayan, Harini; Taylor, David; Visser, Gerhard H.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1098-2302(199905)34:2<257::aid-dev2>3.0.co;2-v

Cited by 65 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fetal behavioral states were defined according to the pattern and sequence of fetal motor activities throughout this period. [9][10][11] However, behavioral state variables before 36 weeks of gestation are not synchronized.Our objective was to study inter-twin differences in activity during early pregnancy and to test the hypothesis that individual differences in twins' activity in pregnancy are related to subsequent postnatal-temperament characteristics. …”

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Twins’ temperament: early prenatal sonographic assessment and postnatal correlation

et al. 2009

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Objective: To study inter-twin differences in activity during early pregnancy and to examine their relationship to subsequent infant twins' temperament.Study Design: Measures of fetal motor activity (frequency, duration and number of movements) were collected from 26 twin pairs during ultrasound nuchal translucency scan at late first trimester and early second trimester (11 to 14 weeks gestation). In twenty-two patients, the twins were dizygotic (dichorionic); of them, 13 twin pairs were of different sexes, five were both females and four were both males. Of the four monozygotic twin pregnancies, two were dichorionic and two were monochorionic, three were both females.The more active fetus in each pair was noted according to the position and/or sex without reporting to parents. Reported maternal perception of the more active twin was documented at the mid-trimester anatomical scan.Maternally reported postnatal temperament data of the infants were collected at 3 and 6 months, using Rothbarts' Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ).Results: After birth, maternal reports on infants' temperament and the more active twin in each pair were in good correlation with prenatal inter-twin differences in activity. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves shows a better performance of ultrasound compared with maternal perception in prediction of the more active twin. Conclusions:The features of fetal neurobehavioral activity provide the basis for individual differences in twins' activity in infancy. Differences in activity in early pregnancy even before the emergence of fetal behavioral patterns were followed by temperamental differences postnatally. Keywords: twins; temperament; ultrasound; fetal movements; activity Introduction Fetal motor activity seems to predict temperament attributes related to regulatory behaviors in early childhood. 1 Using fourdimensional (4D) ultrasonography for the assessment of fetal behavior, a continuity from fetal to neonatal behavior was shown, 2 especially in terms of isolated eye blinking movements, mouth and eyelid opening, yawning, tongue expulsion, smiling, scowling and hand movements directed to other parts of the face.Physiological markers of individual differences in infant temperament are identifiable in the fetal period, and are possibly shaped by the prenatal environment. 3 Twins' gestations provide an opportunity to study the behavioral differences between pairs. Temperament variations were studied from the neonatal period to childhood. [4][5][6][7] Twin and adoption studies suggest that individual differences in infant and child temperament are genetically influenced. 8 Developmental aspects of behavioral organization were investigated in fetuses during the second and third trimester. Fetal behavioral states were defined according to the pattern and sequence of fetal motor activities throughout this period. [9][10][11] However, behavioral state variables before 36 weeks of gestation are not synchronized.Our objective was to study inter-twin differences in activity during e...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Twins’ temperament: early prenatal sonographic assessment and postnatal correlation

et al. 2009

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“…The behavioral states develop progressively during gestation, starting with cycles of activity and rest from 23 weeks onwards [20]. Further synchronization of fetal movement and defined heart rate patterns lead to the establishment of the four behavioral states [18,19].…”

Section: Fetal Behavioral Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is there a relationship between fetal brain function and the fetal behavioral state? A fetal MEG-study

Kiefer-Schmidt¹,

Raufer²,

Brändle³

et al. 2013

Journal of Perinatal Medicine

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“…The knowledge that the expression and maturational trajectories of fetal cardiac and motor parameters reflect the developing nervous system has been well established in studies of fetuses in normally developing pregnancies, at risk pregnancies, and fetuses compromised by congenital conditions [7–11]. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations between maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and fetal neuromaturation indexed by measures of fetal heart rate, motor activity, and their integration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fetal heart rate and motor development in overweight and obese pregnant women

Voegtline

Costigan

Henderson

et al. 2015

International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics

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Objective To determine the relationship between maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and fetal cardiac and motor activity and integration during the second half of pregnancy. Methods Longitudinal data were collected from 610 nonsmoking women with normally progressing pregnancies at three gestational periods (24, 30–32, and 36 weeks) across eight cohorts studied between 1997 and 2013. Fifty minutes of fetal heart rate and motor activity data were collected at each period via actocardiography in a laboratory setting. Data were digitized and analyzed using customized software. Standard BMI categories were computed from maternal prepregnancy weight and height. Participants were stratified into normal weight (n=401, 65.7%), overweight (n=137, 22.5%), or obese (n=72, 11.8%). Results Fetuses of obese women showed lower heart rate variability and fewer accelerations relative to fetuses of normal weight women. Fetuses of both obese and overweight women exhibited more vigorous motor activity than fetuses of normal weight women. Cardiac–somatic integration was reduced in both obese and overweight groups. Findings differed by gestational age at assessment. Conclusions Excess maternal prepregnancy weight in overweight and obese women alters the normal trajectory of fetal cardiac and motor development and their integration, with effects amplified as pregnancy progresses.

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Temporal organization of fetal behavior from 24-weeks gestation onwards in normal and complicated pregnancies

Cited by 65 publications

References 23 publications

Twins’ temperament: early prenatal sonographic assessment and postnatal correlation

Twins’ temperament: early prenatal sonographic assessment and postnatal correlation

Is there a relationship between fetal brain function and the fetal behavioral state? A fetal MEG-study

Fetal heart rate and motor development in overweight and obese pregnant women

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