The rhythmicity of fetal breathing varies with behavioural state in the human fetus

Nijhuis, Jan G.; Martin, Chester B.; Gommers, Suzanne; Bouws, P.; Bots, R.S.G.M.; Jongsma, H.W.

doi:10.1016/0378-3782(83)90096-8

Cited by 48 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…A number of factors can confound the relationship between breathing and heart rate variability, particularly respiratory frequency and tidal volume (Grossman, Karemaker, & Wieling, 1991 ;Mehlsen, Pagh, Nielson, Sestoft, & Nielson, 1987). Spontaneous, unpredictable changes in the respiratory pattern are not uncommon in human fetuses: Whereas, for example, the neonate breathes continuously, fetal breathing is intermittent; but like the neonate the rhythm may be regular or irregular depending on behavioral state at the time of evaluation (Nijhuis et al, 1983;Timor-Tritsch et al, 1980). If the rate of breathing exceeds one-half the mean heart rate, then respiration may affect heart period at frequencies below the respiratory frequency (Witte, Zwiener, Rother, & Glaser, 1988).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vagal tone during quiet sleep in normal human term fetuses

Groome

et al. 1994

Developmental Psychobiology

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The purpose of this paper was to calculate vagal tone (V) for 17 normal human fetuses in quiet sleep (QS) between 36 and 40 weeks gestation. The fetal cardiac electrical signal was captured transabdominally in 3-min blocks at a rate of 833 times per second and fetal R-waves were extracted using adaptive signal processing techniques. Fetal R-wave interbeat intervals were converted to equally spaced, time-based data, and the low-frequency component was removed using a 21-point third-order moving polynomial. The parameter V was calculated by taking the natural logarithm of the sum of the power densities between 0.3 Hz and 1.3 Hz. We found that fetal breathing was associated with an approximately 25% increase in V as compared to nonbreathing, 3.33 +/- 0.48 versus 2.57 +/- 0.47, p < 0.0001. Furthermore, there was a significant linear relationship between the mean single-fetus V during spontaneous respiration and the mean single-fetus V during normally occurring apneic periods, r = 0.772, p < 0.002. We conclude that respiratory activity is associated with a significant increase in vagal tone for normal human fetuses in QS.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vagal tone during quiet sleep in normal human term fetuses

Groome

et al. 1994

Developmental Psychobiology

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“…As gestation progresses, fetal HR decreases while heart rate variability (HRV) increases, due in part to increased parasympathetic influence (1), maturation of central mechanisms that regulate autonomic control (2) and a higher incidence of breathing movements (3). Fetal breathing movements can be detected on ultrasound by 11 weeks of gestation (4), increase in number and duration with advancing gestational age (GA) (5)and are dependent on behavioral state (6-8). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of the fetal diaphragmatic magnetomyogram and the effect of breathing movements on cardiac metrics of rate and variability

Gustafson

Allen

May

2011

Early Human Development

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Breathing movements are one of the earliest fetal motor behaviors to emerge andare ahallmark of fetal well-being. Fetal respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) has been documented but efforts to quantify the influence of breathing on heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) are difficult due to the episodic nature of fetal breathing activity. We used a dedicated fetal biomagnetometer to acquire the magnetocardiogram (MCG) between 36-38 weeks gestational age (GA). We identified and characterized a waveform observed in the raw data and independent component decomposition that we attribute to fetal diaphragmatic movements during breathing episodes. RSA and increased high frequency power in a time-frequency analysis of the IBI time-series was observed during fetal breathing periods. Using the diaphragmatic magnetomyogram (dMMG) as a marker, we compared time and frequency domain metrics of heartrate and heart rate variability between breathing and non-breathing epochs. Fetal breathing activity resulted in significantly lower HR, increased high frequency power, greater sympathovagal balance, increased short-term HRV andgreater parasympathetic input relative to non-breathing episodesconfirming the specificity of fetal breathing movements on parasympathetic cardiac influence. No significant differences between breathing and non-breathing epochs were found in two metrics reflecting total HRVor very low, low and intermediate frequency bands. Using the fetal dMMG as a marker, biomagnetometry can help to elucidate the electrophysiologic mechanisms associated with diaphragmatic motor function and may be used to study the longitudinal development of human fetal cardiac autonomic control and breathing activity.

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“…Our data shows that this is particularly the case prior to 30 weeks, when, during very prolonged recording, more than 40% of healthy fetuses were found to have no breathing, and 60% did not sustain breathing continuously for 30 s [83], This finding raises important ques tions about the specificity of observation of breathing as a means of assessing either fetal well-being or continuing lung growth in the middle trimester. Also, with regard to re ports that observation of breathing might be used to assess continuing lung development in fetuses at risk of pulmonary hypoplasia, there is evidence to the contrary in both fetal lambs and human fetuses [91,92], Nijhuis et al [93] and van Vliet et al [30] were the first to study the relationship be tween behavioral states and breathing in hu man fetuses. They reported significantly more breathing in activity than quiescence between 32 weeks and term, and that the linkage of breathing and other behavioral state variables did not alter with the emer gence of behavioral states.…”

Section: Hiccups and Breathing In The Human Fetusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Human Fetal Behavior: A Review

Pillai¹,

James²

1990

Fetal Diagn Ther

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Most of the movements described during the course of gestation have already emerged before 16 weeks, and the presence of diurnal variation in human fetal behavior has been demonstrated from as early as 20 weeks gestation. Up to 26 weeks quiet intervals rarely exceed 5 min. After this age quiet intervals progressively increase in duration so that behavior appears cyclically rather than randomly distributed. Increasing linkage of the state variables results in identifiable fetal behavioral states from around 36 weeks. During the last trimester fetal activities are cycle- or state-dependent, so that prolonged, and often repeated, recording of behavior is necessary before any sinister conclusions can be drawn.

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The rhythmicity of fetal breathing varies with behavioural state in the human fetus

Cited by 48 publications

References 7 publications

Vagal tone during quiet sleep in normal human term fetuses

Vagal tone during quiet sleep in normal human term fetuses

Characterization of the fetal diaphragmatic magnetomyogram and the effect of breathing movements on cardiac metrics of rate and variability

Development of Human Fetal Behavior: A Review

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