TY - JOUR
T1 - Fetal sleep organization
T2 - A biological precursor of self-regulation in childhood and adolescence?
AU - Van den Bergh, B.R.H.
AU - Mulder, E.J.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
U2 - 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.01.003
DO - 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.01.003
M3 - Article
SN - 0301-0511
VL - 89
SP - 584
EP - 590
JO - Biological Psychology
JF - Biological Psychology
IS - 3
ER -