Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T22:55:07.418Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Fetal Habituation

Part of: Bespoke shallow archive Weizmann

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2010

Peter G Hepper  and
Leo R Leader
Peter G Hepper*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom.
Leo R Leader
Affiliation:
School of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of New South Wales, Frank Rundle House, Royal Hospital for Women, Paddington, Sydney NSW 2021, Australia.
*
Peter G Hepper, School of Psychology, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

One aim of obstetric practice is to ensure the wellbeing of the fetus. This is by no means an easy task and recent years have seen the development of a variety of tests, with varying degrees of success, to evaluate fetal health.

Fetal wellbeing may be assessed at a variety of levels: genetic/cellular, physical/structural or functional. Ideally the evaluation of fetal health should provide information about the functional outcome of any particular condition, especially the performance of the central nervous system. Current tests may not do this. Thus, whilst tests of the fetal chromosomal or genetic constitution may determine the presence of particular genetic/chromosomal conditions, they may not predict functional outcome especially the functioning of the cerebral cortices, the ultimate arbiter of excellence in man. For example, Down's syndrome may be accurately diagnosed by analysis of fetal cells to detect the presence of Trisomy 21 but this in itself provides little information on the subsequent functional performance of the individual. The development of tests of fetal heart function such as antenatal cardiotocography have provided a means of assessing cardiac function and, to a certain extent, the functioning of parts of the autonomic nervous system. However such tests can only indirectly assess cortical function.

Type
Research Article
Information
Fetal and Maternal Medicine Review , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , May 1996 , pp. 109 - 123
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Hepper, PG. Fetal behaviour. A potential diagnostic tool. Midwifery 1990; 6: 193–200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2Hepper, PG. The behaviour of the fetus as an indicator of neural functioning. In: Lecanuet, J-PFifer, WP, Krasnegor, NA, Smotherman, WP eds, Fetal development. A psychobiological perspective Hillsdale N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1995: 405–17.Google Scholar
3Leader, LR, Bennett, MJ. Fetal habituation and its clinical applications. In: Levene, MI, Lilford, RJ, Bennett, MJ, Punt, J eds, Fetal and neonatal neurology and neurosurgery. Second edition. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1995: 45–60.Google Scholar
4Thompson, RF, Spencer, WA. Habituation: a model for the study of neuronal substrates of behavior. Psychol Rev 1966; 73: 16–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Buchwald, JS, Humphrey, GL. An analysis of habituation in specific sensory systems. Prog Physiol Psychol 1973; 5: 1–75.Google Scholar
6Kandel, ER. Small system of neurones. Sci Am 1979; 241: 67–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Stephenson, D, Siddle, D. Theories of habituation. In: Siddle, D ed, Orienting and habituation; perspectives in human research. New York: Wiley, 1983: 183–236.Google Scholar
8Jeffrey, WE, Cohen, LB. Habituation in the human infant. Adv Child Dev Behav 1971; 6: 63–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Sokolov, YN. Perception and the conditioned reflex (trans Waydenfeld, SW) Oxford: Pergammon Press, 1963.Google Scholar
10Wyers, EJ, Peek, HVS, Herz, MJ. Behavioural habituation in invertebrates. In: Peek, HVS, Herz, MJ eds, Habituation, Physiological substrates. New York: Academic, 1973: 1–57.Google Scholar
11Brackbill, Y. The role of the cortex in orienting. Orienting reflex in an anencephalic human infant. Dev Psychobiol 1971; 5: 195–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Sokolov, EN. The modelling properties of the nervous system. In: Cole, M, Maltzman, I eds, Handbook of contemporary soviet psychology New York: Basic Books, 1969: 671–704.Google Scholar
13Cohen, L, Gelber, E. Infant visual memory. In: Cohen, L, Salapatek, P eds, Infant perception: from sensation to cognition Vol I Basic visual processes. New York: Academic, 1975: 347–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Bornstein, MH. Continuity in mental development from infancy. Child Dev 1986; 57: 251–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Bornstein, MH. Stability in early mental development: from attention and information processing in infancy to learning and cognition in childhood. In: Bornstein, MH, Krasnegor, NA eds, Stability and continuity in mental development. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1989: 147–70.Google Scholar
16McCall, RB, Carriger, MS. A meta-analysis of infant habituation and recognition memory performance as predictors of later IQ. Child Dev 1993; 64: 57–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17Gruzelier, JH, Venables, PH. Skin conductance orienting activity in a heterogeneous sample of schizophrenics. J Nerv Ment Dis 1972; 155: 277–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18Hutt, SJ, Hutt, C, Lee, D, Dunstead, C. A behavioural and electroencephalographic study of autistic children. J Psychiatr Res 1965; 3: 181–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19Dustman, RE, Callner, DA. Cortical evoked responses and response decrement in non-retarded and Downs syndrome individuals. Am J Ment Defic 1979; 83: 391–97.Google Scholar
20Schafer, EW, Peeke, HV. Down syndrome individuals fail to habituate cortical evoked potentials. Am J Ment Defic 1982; 87: 332–37.Google ScholarPubMed
21Lader, MH, Wing, L. Comparative bioassay of chlordiazepoxide and amylobarbitone sodium therapies in patients with anxiety states using physiological and clinical measures. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1965; 28: 414–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22Lader, MH, Wing, L. Physiological measures in agitated and retarded depressed patients. J Psychiatr Res 1969; 7: 89–100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23Hutt, SJ, Hutt, C. Hyperactivity in a group of epileptic (and some non-epileptic) brain damaged children. Epilepsia 1964; 5: 334–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24Tizard, B. Habituation of EEG and skin potential changes in normal and severely subnormal children. Am J Ment Defic 1968; 73: 16–43.Google ScholarPubMed
25Gandhavadi, B. Glabellar reflex habituation in mentally retarded adults. J Ment Defic Res 1982; 26: 271–78.Google ScholarPubMed
26Gandhavadi, B, Meivin, JL. Electrical blink reflex habituation in mentally retarded adults, J Ment Defic Res 1985; 29: 49–54.Google ScholarPubMed
27Groves, PM, Thompson, RF. Habituation: a dual process theory. Psychological Reviews 1970; 77: 419–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28Kaplan, PS, Werner, JS, Rudy, JW. Habituation, sensitization and infant visual attention. Adv Inf Res 1990; 6: 61–109.Google Scholar
29Peiper, A. Sinnesempfindungen des Kindes vor seiner Geburt. Monatsschr Kinderheilkd 1925; 29: 237–41.Google Scholar
30Humphrey, T. Postnatal repetition of human prenatal activity sequences with some suggestions of their neuroanatomical basis. In: Robinson, RJ ed, Brain and early behavior. Development in the fetus and infant. London: Academic Press, 1969: 43–84.Google Scholar
31Leader, LR, Baillie, P, Martin, B. Vermeulen E. The assessment and significance of habituation to a repeated stimulus by the human fetus. Early Hum Dev 1982; 7: 211–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32Leader, LR, Baillie, P, Martin, B, Vermeulen, E. Fetal habituation in high-risk pregnancies. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1982; 89: 441–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
33Leader, LR, Baillie, P, Martin, B, Molteno, C, Wynchank, S. Fetal responses to vibrotactile stimulation. A possible predictor of fetal and neonatal outcome. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 1984; 24: 251–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34Hepper, PG, Shahidullah, S. Habituation in normal and Downs syndrome fetuses. Q J Exp Psychol 1992; 44B: 305–17.Google Scholar
35Groome, LJ, Gottlieb, SJ, Neely, CL, Waters, MD. Developmental trends in fetal habituation to vibroacoustic stimulation. Am J Perinatol 1993; 10: 46–49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
36Groome, LJ, Mooney, DM, Dykman, RA. Motor and cardiac response during habituation testing: demonstration of exaggerated cardiac reactivity in a sub-group of normal human fetuses. Am J Perinatol 1994; 11: 73–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
37Groome, LJ, Singh, KP, Burgard, SL, Neely, CL, Deason, MA. Motor responsivity during habituation testing of normal human fetuses. J Perinat Med 1995; 23: 159–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
38Kuhlamn, KA, Burns, KA, Depp, R, Sabbagha, RE. Ultrasonic imaging of normal fetal responses to external vibratory acoustic stimulation. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1988; 58: 47–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39Leader, LR. The effects of cigarette smoking and maternal hypoxia on fetal habituation. In: Maeda, K ed, The fetus as a patient. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1987: 83–88.Google Scholar
40Leader, LR, Baillie, P. The changes in fetal habituation patterns due to a decrease in inspired maternal oxygen. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1988; 95: 664–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
41Shalev, E, Bennett, MJ, Megory, E, Wallace, RM, Zuckerman, H. Fetal habituation to repeated sound stimulation. Isr J Med Sci 1989; 25: 77–80.Google ScholarPubMed
42Shalev, E, Weiner, E, Serr, DM. Fetal habituation to sound stimulus in various behavioral states. Gynecol Obstet Invest 1990; 29: 115–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
43Goldkrand, JW, Litvack, BL. Demonstration of fetal habituation and patterns of fetal heart rate response to vibroacoustic stimulation in normal and high-risk pregnancies. J Perinatol 1991; 11: 25–29.Google ScholarPubMed
44Smith, CV, Davis, SR, Rayburn, WF, Nelson, RM. Fetal habituation to vibroacoustic stimulation in uncomplicated term pregnancies. Am J Perinatol 1991; 8: 380–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
45Johansson, B, Wedenberg, E, Westin, B. Fetal heart rate response to acoustic stimulation in relation to fetal development and hearing impairment. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 1992; 71 610–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
46Kisilevsky, BS, Muir, DW. Human fetal and subsequent newborn responses to sound and vibration. Inf Behav Dev 1991; 14: 1–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
47Madison, LS, Adubato, SA, Madison, JK, Nelson, RM, Anderson, JC, Erickson, J et al. Fetal response decrement: true habituation? Dev Behav Pediatr 1986; 7: 14–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
48Shahidullah, S, Hepper, PG. Frequency discrimination by the fetus. Early Hum Dev 1994; 36: 13–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
49Lecanuet, J-P, Granier-Deferre, C, DeCasper, AJ, Maugeais, R, Andrieu, AJ, Busnel, M-C. Perception et discrimination foetales de stimuli langagiers mise en évidence è partir de la réactivitité cardiaque résultats préliminaires. Compte-Rendus de l' Académie des Sciences Paris Série III 1987; 305: 161–64.Google Scholar
50Lecanuet, J-P, Granier-Deferre, C, Jacquet, A-Y, Capponi, I, Ledru, L. Prenatal discrimination of a male and a female voice uttering the same sentence. Early Dev Parent 1993; 2: 217–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
51Hepper, PG, Shahidullah, S. Development of fetal hearing. Arch Dis Child 1994; 71: F81–F87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
52Shahidullah, S, Hepper, PG. The developmental origins of fetal responsiveness to an acoustic stimulus. J Reprod Inf Psychol 1993; 11: 135–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
53Hooker, D. The prenatal origin of behavior. Kansas: University of Kansas Press, 1952.Google Scholar
54Robinson, A. Sex differences in development. Dev Med Child Neurol 1969; 11 245–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
55Singer, JE, Westphal, M, Niswander, KR. Sex differences in the incidence of neonatal abnormalities and abnormal performance in early childhood. Child Dev 1968; 39: 103–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
56Keen, RE, Chase, HH, Graham, FK. Twenty-four hour retention by neonates of an habituated heart rate response. Psychonom Sci 1965; 2: 265–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
57Swain, IU, Zelazo, PR, Clifton, RK. Newborninfants memory for speech sounds retained over 24 hours. Dev Psychol 1993; 29: 312–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
58Hepper, PG. Fetal psychology: an embryonic science. In: Nijhuis, JG ed: Fetal behaviour. Developmental and perinatal aspects. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992: 129–56.Google Scholar
59Öhman, A. The orienting response, attention and learning: an information processing perspective. In: Kimmel, DH, van Olst, EH, Orlebeke, JF eds, The orienting reflex in humans. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1979: 443–71.Google Scholar
60Hepper, PG, Shahidullah, S. The development of fetal hearing. Fetal and Maternal Medicine Review 1994; 6: 167–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
61Lecanuet, JP, Granier-Deferre, C, Busnel, M. Fetal cardiac and motor responses to octave-band noises as a function of central frequency, intensity and heart rate variability. Early Hum Dev 1988; 18: 81–93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
62Goodlin, RC, Lowe, EW. Multiphasic fetal monitoring. A preliminary evaluation. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1974; 119: 341–57.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
63Bogartz, RS. The criterion method: some analyses and remarks. Psychol Bull 1965; 64: 1–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
64Lecanuet, J-P, Granier-Deferre, C, Cohen, H, Le Houezec, R, Busnel, M-C. Fetal responses to acoustic stimulation depend on heart rate variability pattern stimulus intensity and repetition. Early Hum Dev 1986; 13: 269–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
65Sandman, CA, Wadhwa, PD, Dunkel-Schetter, C, Chicz-De Met, A, Belman, J, Porto, M et al. Psychobiological influences of stress and HPA regulation on the human fetus and infant birth outcomes. In: Beckwith, W, Sandman, C, Chronwell, B, Strand, F eds: Models of neuropeptide action. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1995: 198–210.Google Scholar
66Prechtl, HFR. Ultrasound studies of human fetal behaviour. Early Hum Dev 1985; 12: 91–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
67Schmidt, W, Boos, R, Gnirs, J, Auer, L, Schulze, S. Fetal behavioural states and controlled sound stimulation. Early Hum Dev 1985; 12: 145–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
68Leader, LR, Stevens, AD, Lumbers, ER. Measurement of fetal responses to vibroacoustic stimuli. Habituation in fetal sheep. Biol Neonate 1988; 53: 73–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
69Nijhuis, JG. The third trimester. In: Nijhuis, JG ed, Fetal behaviour. Developmental and perinatal aspects. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992: 26–40.Google Scholar
70Van den Bergh, BRH. Maternal emotions during pregnancy and fetal and neonatal behaviour. In: Nijhuis, JG ed: Fetal behaviour. Developmental and perinatal aspects. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992: 157–78.Google Scholar
71Correia, IG, Leader, LR, Clark, I. Can television influence fetal behaviour? International Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Studies 1992; 4: 22. (Abstract of paper presented at 10th World Congress of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Medicine, Cracow, Poland).Google Scholar
72Prechtl, HFR. The optimality concept. Early Hum Dev 1980; 4: 201–203.Google ScholarPubMed
73Park, MI, Kim, DS. The acoustic stimulation test in the anencephalus: preliminary results. J Perinat Med 1989; 17: 329–31.Google ScholarPubMed
74Andrews, J, McGarry, JM. A community study of smoking in pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Cwlth 1972; 79: 1057–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
75Himmelberger, DU, Brown, BW, Cohen, EN. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy and the occurrence of spontaneous abortion and congenital abnormality. Am J Epidemiol 1978; 108: 470–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
76Meyer, MB, Jonas, BS, Tonascia, JA. Perinatal events associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy. Am J Epidemiol 1976; 103: 464–76.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
77U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Smoking and health: a report of the Surgeon General. DHEW Publication No. (PHS) 79–50066, 1979.Google Scholar
78Manning, FA, Feyerabend, C. Cigarette smoking and fetal breathing movements. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1976; 83: 262–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
79Thaler, I, Goodman, JDS, Dawes, GS. Effects of maternal cigarette smoking of fetal breathing and fetal movements. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1980; 138: 282–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
80Eriksen, PS, Marsal, K. Acute effects of maternal smoking on fetal blood flow. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 1984; 63: 391–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
81Lehtovirta, P, Forss, P. The acute effect of smoking on intervillous blood flow in the placenta. J Obstet Gynaecol Br Cwlth 1978; 85: 729–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
82Mactutus, CF. Developmental neurotoxicity of nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other tobacco smoke constituents. Ann NY Acad Sci 1989; 562: 105–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
83Copher, DE, Huber, CP. Heart rate response of the human fetus to induced maternal hypoxia. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1967; 98: 320–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
84Hellman, LM, Johnston, HL, Tolks, WE, Jones, EH. Some factors affecting the fetal heart rate. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1961; 82: 1055–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
85John, AH. The effect of maternal hypoxia on the heart rate of the fetus in utero. Br J Anaesth 1965; 37: 515–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
86Wood, C, Hammond, J, Lumley, J, Newman, W. Effect of maternal inhalation of 10% oxygen upon the human fetus. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 1971; 11: 85–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
87Baillie, P. Non hormonal methods of antenatal monitoring. Clin Obstet Gynaecol 1974; 1: 103–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
88Jones, CT, Robinson, RO. Plasma catecholamines in foetal and adult sheep. J Physiol (Lond) 1975; 248 15–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
89Rosen, KG, Dagbjartsson, A, Henriksson, BA, Lagerkrantz, H. The relationship between circulating catecholamines and ST waveform in the fetal lamb electrocardiogram during hypoxia. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1984; 149: 190–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
90Key, BJ. Effects of chlorpromazine and lysergic acid diethylamide on the role of habituation of the arousal response. Nature 1961; 190: 275–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
91Davis, M, Svensson, TH, Aghajanian, GK. Effects of D- and L- amphetamine on habituation and sensitization of the acoustic startle response in rats. Psychopharmacology 1975; 43: 1–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
92Brackbill, Y, Kane, J, Manniello, RL, Adamson, D. Obstetric premedication and infant outcome. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1974; 118: 377–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
93Kangas-Saarela, T, Koivisto, M, Jouppila, R, Jouppila, P, Hollmen, A. Comparison of the effects of general and epidural anaesthesia for caesarian section on the neurobehavioural responses of newborn infants. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 1989; 33: 313–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
94Moreau, T, Birth, HG. Relati onship between obstetric general anaesthesia and rate of neonatal habituation to repeated stimulation. Dev Med Child Neurol 1974; 16: 612–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
95Madison, LS, Madison, JK, Adubato, SA. Infant behavior and development in relation to fetal movement and habituation. Child Dev 1986; 57: 1475–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
96Leader, LR, Dolby, R, Dore, C. Fetal heart habituation to vibroacoustic stimulation as a predictor of fetal outcome and infant development. Presented at 13th Australian Perinatal Society Meeting, Auckland, New Zealand. 1995.Google Scholar
97Dancer, AL, Henderson, D, Salvi, RJ, Hamernik, RP eds: Noise-induced hearing loss St. Louis: Mosby, 1992.Google Scholar
98Hepper, PG, Shahidullah, S. Noise and the fetus: A critical review of the literature. Sudbury, Suffolk: HSE Books, 1994.Google Scholar
99Nyman, M, Barr, M, Westgren, M. A four year followup of hearing and development in children exposed in utero to vibroacoustic stimulation. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1992; 99: 685–688.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
100Ohel, G, Horowitz, E, Linder, N, Sohmer, H. Neonatal auditory acuity following in utero vibratory acoustic stimulation. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1987; 157: 440–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
101Visser, GHA, Mulder, HH, Wit, HP, Mulder, EJH, Prechtl, HFR. Vibroacoustic stimulation of the human fetus: effect on behavioural state organization. Early Hum Dev 1989; 19: 285–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
102Leader, LR, Fawcus, S, Clark, I. The effect of repeated vibroacoustic stimulation on fetal behavioural state. Presented at the Annual meeting of the Royal Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Melbourne 1992.Google Scholar
103Spencer, JAD, Deans, A, Nicolaidis, P, Arulkumaran, S. Fetal heart rate response to vibroacoustic stimulation during low and high heart rate variability episodes in late pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1991; 165: 86–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
104Fisk, NM, Nicolaidis, PK, Arulkumaran, S, Weg, MW, Tannirandorn, Y, Nicolini, U et al. Vibroacoustic stimulation is not associated with sudden catecholamine release. Early Hum Dev 1991; 25: 11–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar