Non-nutritive sucking recordedin uterovia fetal magnetography

Abstract

Several studies in term and pre-term infants have investigated the rhythmic pattern of non-nutritive sucking (NNS) indicating correlations between the quantitative measures derived from sucking pressure variation and/or electromyographic (EMG) recordings and a range of factors that include age, perinatal stress and sequelae. In the human fetus, NNS has been reported from 13 weeks of gestation and has been studied using real-time Doppler ultrasonography exclusively. The present study indicates that NNS in fetus can be reliably recorded and quantified using non-invasive biomagnetic measurements that have been recently introduced as an investigational tool for the assessment of fetal neurophysiologic development. We show that source separation techniques, such as independent component analysis, applied to the high-resolution multichannel recordings allow the segregation of an explicit waveform that represents the biomagnetic equivalent of the ororhythmic sucking pressure variation or EMG signal recorded in infants. This enables the morphological study of NNS patterning over different temporal scales, from the global quantitative measures to the within burst fine structure characterization, in correlation with the fetal cardiac rhythm.

When is the use of pacifiers justifiable in the baby-friendly hospital initiative context? A clinician’s guide

“…NNS (sucking for purposes other than obtaining nutrition) precedes nutritive sucking and can be observed during the fetal period as early as 13 weeks post menstrual age (PMA) [2]. Sucking movements are observed in the fetus between the 24 th and 28 th week of gestation, and coordination of the suck, swallow and breathing pattern is evident from week 28 [14].…”

“…Behavioural organization is improved in infants exposed to NNS, since the practice improves self-consolation and soothing in the infant [19], self-regulatory state modulation [4], and the time spent sleeping, and it increases levels of alertness [2]. All these contribute to lower energy consumption.…”

“…Sucking is an important milestone for every newborn infant to master to ensure exclusive breastfeeding after birth, and it also contributes to self-regulatory behaviour [1] and bonding. Non-nutritive sucking (NNS), or sucking not for the purpose of feeding, is a precursor to nutritive sucking [2, 3], and holds various physiological benefits including improved digestion, behavioural organisation [4], pain management, and prevention of aspiration [5]. Furthermore, the American Academy of Pediatric (AAP) has published recommendations on the use of pacifiers in healthy infants associated with a reduction in the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) [6].…”

Regular Maternal Exercise Dose and Fetal Heart Outcome

“…All 18-min multivariate data recordings were presented to an Infomax independent component analysis algorithm implemented in the EEGLAB toolbox, free download from University of California San Diego, (12) to segregate matemal magnetocardiogram (MCG), fetal magnetocardiogram, and various fetal movements with distinct and previously characterized biomagnetic signatures (18,37,38). The fetal magnetocardiogram was identified and fiducial R peaks were automatically detected using a template-matching algorithm designed by our team to generate the interbeat-interval time series (18,26,37,38). All MCG traces were manually checked (L.E.M., K.M.G.)…”

Effects of oral stimulus frequency spectra on the development of non-nutritive suck in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome or chronic lung disease, and preterm infants of diabetic mothers

“…Toward the end of the 8 th week post-menstrual age (PMA), light tactile stimulation of the lips and face evoke a rooting and orienting response (Humphrey, 1970). The precocial nature of orofacial touch sensitivity underscores the biological importance of establishing motor rhythms as evidenced by the presence of sucking, swallowing, and chest wall movements in utero (Popescu et al, 2008). In the infant’s mouth and tongue, there are at least three known types of rapidly-conducting A β mechanoreceptors, including Merkel cells, Meissner’s corpuscles, and Ruffini nerve endings which transmit touch, pressure, vibration and motion sense information along trigeminal pathways to the developing thalamus and sensorimotor cortex.…”