Relation Between Maternal Cigarette Smoking During Pregnancy and Behavioral and Physiological Measures of Autonomic Regulation in Neonates.

The effects of maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy on behavioral and physiological measures of arousal were examined in a sample of 50 neonates. After the effects of alcohol, caffeine, and maternal demographic variables were statistically controlled, regression analyses showed that maternal smoking during pregnancy was predictive of higher heart rates overall and during quiet and active sleep. Maternal smoking during pregnancy was also predictive of lower heart rate variability and an increased number of tremors and changes in behavioral state. These findings suggest that maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy affects the regulation of spontaneous autonomic activity in neonates.