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Prenatal Antecedents of Newborn Neurological Maturation
Author(s) -
DiPietro Janet A.,
Kivlighan Katie T.,
Costigan Kathleen A.,
Rubin Suzanne E.,
Shiffler Dorothy E.,
Henderson Janice L.,
Pillion Joseph P.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01384.x
Subject(s) - brainstem , psychology , fetus , heart rate , gestation , motor behavior , pregnancy , reflex , developmental psychology , medicine , neuroscience , blood pressure , genetics , biology
Fetal neurobehavioral development was modeled longitudinally using data collected at weekly intervals from 24 to 38 weeks gestation in a sample of 112 healthy pregnancies. Predictive associations between 3 measures of fetal neurobehavioral functioning and their developmental trajectories to neurological maturation in the first weeks after birth were examined. Prenatal measures included fetal heart rate (FHR) variability, fetal movement, and coupling between fetal motor activity and heart rate patterning; neonatal outcomes include a standard neurologic examination ( n = 97) and brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP; n = 47). Optimality in newborn motor activity and reflexes was predicted by fetal motor activity, FHR variability, and somatic–cardiac coupling predicted BAEP parameters. Maternal pregnancy‐specific psychological stress was associated with accelerated neurologic maturation.