Electrocortical activity in fetal sheep in the last seven days of gestation.
1. Electrocorticogram (ECoG) and myometrial electromyogram (EMG) were recorded continuously in chronically instrumented late gestation sheep fetuses (n = 9) to analyse: (1) 24 h ECoG patterns, (2) relationships between ECoG and myometrial contractility, and (3) 24 h ECoG patterns at the spontaneous onset of labour. 2. Spontaneous onset of labour was determined from the myometrial EMG. ECoG signals were purified by a denoising procedure of wavelet decomposition. High-voltage slow ECoG activity (HV) and low-voltage fast ECoG activity (LV) were determined mathematically, and HV-LV cycle periodicity was calculated by periodogram analysis. 3. Twenty-four hour rhythms were present in fetal ECoG HV-LV cycles in the 3-5 days prior to spontaneous onset of labour (P < 0.01). Cycle frequency was lower at 08.00-12.00 h and higher at 16.00-20.00 h (lights on at 07.00 h, lights off at 21.00 h). LV duration was longer at 20.00-24.00 h, and HV was shorter at 16.00-20.00 h. No relationship was found between ECoG cycles and myometrial contracture cycles. Twenty-four hour ECoG rhythms disappeared 1 day before the spontaneous onset of labour. 4. ECoG patterns changed 7 to 4 h prior to spontaneous onset of labour, percentage of time spent and duration of HV ECoG increased, and percentage of time spent in LV decreased significantly. ECoG HV-LV cyclicity was reduced 4-5 h prior to spontaneous onset of labour, indicating that the altered fetal hormonal and blood gas environment around the spontaneous onset of labour alter fetal neural function.
Shinozuka
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Laboratory for Pregnancy and Newborn Research, Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-6401, USA.
Nathanielsz
P W
PW
D000818:Animals; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal / Q000502:physiology; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000502:physiology; D009215:Myometrium / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012756:Sheep