Temporal organization of fetal behavior from 24-weeks gestation onwards in normal and complicated pregnancies.
Developmental aspects of behavioral organization were investigated in 29 healthy fetuses from 24-weeks gestation onwards: (a) short-term association between body (GM) and eye (EM) movements; (b) linkage of pairs of the three state variables [fetal heart rate pattern (FHRP), GM, and EM]; and (c) sequence of change of state variables during transitions. Linkage and sequence were also studied in complicated pregnancies. Short-term association between GM and EM was well established after 28 weeks. Linkage of state variables improved considerably after 32-34 weeks. FHRP was the first variable to change during synchronized transitions from 1F to 2F between 28-39 weeks, and the last variable during 2F to 1F transitions between 32-39 weeks. Although clear developmental patterns could be recognized, the interfetal variability was such that identification of the abnormal fetus is still difficult. Only transitions were significantly different in growth-restricted fetuses, as they showed no specific sequence of change. Assessing the temporal organization of fetal behavior seems, therefore, until now, not of great clinical value.
D000328:Adult; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D005865:Gestational Age; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000254:growth & development*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000503:physiopathology*