Abstract
Background: In recent years, there has been growing interest in the effect of maternal exposure to physiological, environmental, and also psychological factors during gestation on child development. Several independent studies link maternal stress during pregnancy to emotional and behavioral problems in the child. Objectives: This study aimed to observe the effect of maternal cognitive activity on fetal brain blood flow to determine whether systematic maternal mathematical activity during pregnancy might influence child brain development. Method: Thirty-five women in the 28th to 40th week of pregnancy engaged in mathematical activities. Fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA), pulsatility index (PI) and peak systolic velocity (PSV) were monitored before, during, and after the activity. Results: Brain activity and blood flow were shown to be intimately linked. We observed a significant decrease in fetal brain MCA resistance, as evidenced by decreased MCA PI, towards the end of the mathematical activity. This may result in increased blood flow in the arteries supplying most brain regions and, possibly, increased brain activity. Conclusions: A correlation between the mother’s engagement in mathematical activities and fetal brain blood flow may lead to enhancement of the fetus’s brain function and a cognitive advantage for the child.
Highlights
This study aimed to observe the effect of maternal cognitive activity on fetal brain blood flow to determine whether systematic maternal mathematical activity during pregnancy might influence child brain development
We aimed to identify and quantify the relation between maternal cognitive activity and changes in fetal nervous system activity by examining fetal brain blood flow, and follow up when the child is approximately three years to assess whether prenatal maternal cognitive activity affects child development, brain potential, and mathematical ability
The results suggest that maternal mathematical activity influences fetal brain blood flow, and so may influence fetal brain blood flow rate
Summary
The fetal response may be attributed to maternal recumbency and not maternal relaxation, the clear suppression in fetal motor activity during manipulation recovered after the relaxation protocol concluded [7] These studies demonstrate that maternal psychological changes affect fetal physiology. Objectives: This study aimed to observe the effect of maternal cognitive activity on fetal brain blood flow to determine whether systematic maternal mathematical activity during pregnancy might influence child brain development. We observed a significant decrease in fetal brain MCA resistance, as evidenced by decreased MCA PI, towards the end of the mathematical activity This may result in increased blood flow in the arteries supplying most brain regions and, possibly, increased brain activity. Conclusions: A correlation between the mother’s engagement in mathematical activities and fetal brain blood flow may lead to enhancement of the fetus’s brain function and a cognitive advantage for the child
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