Fetal behavioral states: pathological alteration with hypoxia.

Abstract

T he effect of hypoxia on fetal behavioral state is of particular interest to clinical obstetricians as well as physiologists. Fetal behavioral activity such as fetal breathing movements (FBM) and body movements, as well as certain heart rate patterns, can be readily identified in the human fetus, giving rise to their widespread use in the assessment of fetal health.’ An understanding of the mechanisms underlying the effect of hypoxia on fetal behavior, on the other hand, provides important clues to scientists interested in determining the physiology or basic mechanisms that regulate normal fetal activity patterns. This review will concentrate largely on the known effects of hypoxia on specific fetal behaviors that are integral to the determination of fetal “state” in both the human and sheep fetus.