Samjeed Amna, Wahbah Maisam, Hadjileontiadis Leontios, Khandoker Ahsan H
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
College of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
PLoS One. 2024 Dec 2;19(12):e0312310. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312310. eCollection 2024.
Identifying and understanding prenatal developmental disorders at an early stage are crucial as fetal brain development has long-term effects on an individual's life. The maturation of the fetal autonomic nervous system (ANS) is believed to influence the coordination and direction of maternal-fetal heartbeat synchronization. Fetal behavioral states (FBSes) include quiet sleep (1F), active sleep (2F), quiet awake (3F), and active awake (4F). In this study, the focus is on fetal movements, leading to the grouping of 1F and 3F into a quiet state, while 2F and 4F are combined to form an active state. Thus, the FBSes discussed in this article consist of fetal quiet and active states. Here, we explore the relationship between FBSes and the coupling of maternal and fetal heartbeats. We also seek to understand how maternal breathing patterns influence this coupling while considering FBSes. The study involved 105 healthy fetuses with gestational ages (GA) from 20 to 40 weeks. Non-invasive electrocardiogram (ECG) signals were recorded for 3 to 10 minutes. The ECG samples were separated into three gestational groups (Early: 16 ≤ GA < 25, Mid: 25 ≤ GA < 32, and Late: 32 ≤ GA < 40 weeks). Maternal respiration rate and coupling strength parameters were calculated for various maternal-fetal heartbeat coupling ratios. The findings of the study indicated that FBSes influenced maternal-fetal HR coupling strength during late gestation but not during early and mid-gestation. The changes in maternal-fetal HR synchronization or communication as gestation progresses occur in both FBSes. Furthermore, we noticed a significantly higher level of maternal-fetal heartbeat synchronization during periods of higher respiratory rates when the fetus was in a quiet state. These results emphasize how FBSes impact the synchronization of maternal-fetal HR and contribute to the understanding of fetal growth and health.
由于胎儿大脑发育会对个体一生产生长远影响，因此在早期识别和理解产前发育障碍至关重要。胎儿自主神经系统（ANS）的成熟被认为会影响母婴心跳同步的协调性和方向性。胎儿行为状态（FBSes）包括安静睡眠（1F）、活跃睡眠（2F）、安静清醒（3F）和活跃清醒（4F）。在本研究中，重点是胎儿运动，导致1F和3F被归为安静状态，而2F和4F则合并形成活跃状态。因此，本文讨论的FBSes包括胎儿安静和活跃状态。在这里，我们探讨FBSes与母婴心跳耦合之间的关系。我们还试图了解在考虑FBSes的情况下，母亲的呼吸模式如何影响这种耦合。该研究涉及105名孕周（GA）在20至40周的健康胎儿。记录了3至10分钟的无创心电图（ECG）信号。将ECG样本分为三个孕周组（早期：16≤GA<25，中期：25≤GA<32，晚期：32≤GA<40周）。计算了各种母婴心跳耦合比的母亲呼吸频率和耦合强度参数。研究结果表明，FBSes在妊娠晚期会影响母婴心率耦合强度，但在妊娠早期和中期则不会。随着孕周的进展，母婴心率同步或通信的变化在两种FBSes中都会出现。此外，我们注意到当胎儿处于安静状态时，在呼吸频率较高的时期母婴心跳同步水平明显更高。这些结果强调了FBSes如何影响母婴心率同步，并有助于理解胎儿生长和健康。
