Ontogeny of arousal.
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.
Crowell
David H
DH
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
Brooks
Lee J
LJ
Corwin
Michael
M
Davidson-Ward
Sally
S
Hunt
Carl E
CE
Kapuniai
Linda E
LE
Neuman
Michael R
MR
Silvestri
Jean
J
Tinsley
Larry
L
Weese-Mayer
Debra E
DE
Di Fiore
Juliann
J
Peucker
Mark
M
Grove
John S
JS
Pearce
James W
JW
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