title: Fetal sleep organization: a biological precursor of self-regulation in childhood and adolescence?
abstract: Fetal sleep states emerge during the third trimester of pregnancy and involve multiple interconnected neuronal networks. We examined whether fetal sleep characteristics predict child and adolescent self-regulation in a non-clinical sample (study group, n=25; reference group, n=48). Combined recordings of three sleep variables (fetal heart rate, body movements and rapid eye movements) were made for 2 h at 36-38 weeks' gestation. Fetuses showing synchronous change of sleep variables (i.e. within 3 min) at transition from quiet into active sleep reached a higher level of effortful control, both at 8-9 and 14-15 years, than fetuses not making synchronous transitions and compared with the reference group. Results are discussed from a Developmental Origins of Behavior, Health and Disease (DOBHaD) point of view. It is concluded that studying sleep ontogeny offers the possibility to gain insight into brain maturational processes and/or environmental adaptive processes that may have long term behavioral developmental consequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Tilburg University, The Netherlands. Bea.vdnBergh@uvt.nl
authors.forename: Bea R H
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Van den Bergh
authors.forename: Eduard J H
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Mulder
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005324:Fetal Movement / Q000502:physiology; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006340:Heart Rate, Fetal / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology*; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult