title: Ontogeny of arousal.
abstract: Ontogeny of arousal data constitute a vital supplement to the sparse literature on spontaneous neuronal activity. These data demonstrate that measurable infant spontaneous arousals (SAs) with an inherent oscillatory entrainment occur six times more in active sleep than in quiet sleep of the same duration and are identifiable as a human neurobiologic function. These SAs are not significantly associated with race or ethnicity, gender, total hours spent sleeping, percent time spent in active or quiet sleep, preterm status, history of a life-threatening event, having had a sibling who died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or having had a mother who smoked during this pregnancy. As measurable neurophysiologic events, SAs establish parameters for research at molecular and molar levels focusing on several critical areas: (1) the neuronal control of SA related to neurotransmitters, (2) as a significant antecedent factor in clinical cardiorespiratory events occurring in infants at high epidemiologic risk for SIDS; (3) as a regulatory biologic factor underlying temperament and executive cognitive functioning, and (4) morbidity and mortality effects possibly related to therapeutic interventions that alter SA levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children, Honolulu, Hawaii 96826, USA. crowell@hawaii.edu
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Crowell
authors.forename: Lee J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corwin
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Davidson-Ward
authors.forename: Carl E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: Linda E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Kapuniai
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Neuman
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Silvestri
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tinsley
authors.forename: Debra E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Weese-Mayer
authors.forename: Juliann
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Di Fiore
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peucker
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Grove
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Pearce
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001143:Arousal; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D017286:Polysomnography; D012894:Sleep Stages