title: Pathological heart rate responses associated with body movements in neurologically damaged infants during sleep.
abstract: Simultaneous electrocardiogram (ECG) and static charge sensitive bed (SCSB) method recordings were carried out in fifteen healthy and twenty-one neurologically damaged infants during sleep at the age of one week, one month and three months. The SCSB method allows continuous long-term recording of body movements without electrodes connected to the subject. The heart rate response to body movements was studied. Healthy newborns had clear heart rate (HR) acceleration response to body movements. A rapid HR deceleration response occurred at the end of body movements. In the neurologically damaged infants the HR response to body movements was significantly hyperactive or delayed. The abnormal heart rate acceleration-deceleration response to body movements in damaged infants can best be explained by disturbed function of the autonomic nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Turku University Central Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erkinjuntti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kero
mesh_terms: D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*