Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
Impact Assessment of Repeated Exposure of Organotypic 3D Bronchial and Nasal Tissue Culture Models to Whole Cigarette Smoke
Published on: February 12, 2015
Physiological regulation in cigarette exposed infants: an examination of potential moderators
Pamela Schuetze1, Rina D Eiden, Craig R Colder
1Department of Psychology, Buffalo State College, United States. schuetp@buffalostate.edu
Insights
Prenatal cigarette exposure significantly lowers infant respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) by 2 months. This effect was not moderated by environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) or maternal depression, but was influenced by infant size for gestational age.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Health
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke is a significant public health concern.
- Infant physiological regulation, such as heart rate variability, is a key indicator of development.
- Factors like environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), fetal growth, and maternal mental health may influence infant outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between prenatal cigarette exposure and infant physiological regulation at two months of age.
- To determine if fetal growth (small for gestational age - SGA), ETS exposure, or maternal depressive symptoms moderate this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a measure of parasympathetic activity, was recorded from 234 infants (166 exposed, 68 nonexposed) during sleep.
- Infants were assessed for SGA status, and data on prenatal/postnatal ETS exposure and maternal depressive symptoms were collected.
Main Results:
- Infants exposed to cigarettes prenatally exhibited significantly lower RSA compared to nonexposed infants.
- This association was not moderated by ETS exposure or maternal depressive symptomatology.
- Small for gestational age (SGA) status moderated the findings: non-SGA infants had higher RSA than SGA infants and exposed infants.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal cigarette exposure is directly linked to physiological dysregulation in infancy, evidenced by reduced RSA.
- While SGA status impacts RSA, it does not fully explain the negative effects of prenatal smoke exposure.
- Findings underscore the detrimental impact of maternal smoking during pregnancy on infant autonomic nervous system development.
Abstract:
The primary purpose of this study was to examine pathways from prenatal cigarette exposure to physiological regulation at 2 months of age. Specifically, we explored the possibility that any association between prenatal cigarette exposure and infant physiological regulation was moderated by fetal growth, prenatal or postnatal environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure or maternal depressive symptomatology during pregnancy. We evaluated whether exposed infants who were also exposed to ETS after birth, were small for gestational age (SGA) or had mothers with higher depressive symptoms during pregnancy had the highest levels of physiological dysregulation. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was obtained from 234 (166 exposed and 68 nonexposed) infants during sleep. As expected, cigarette-exposed infants had significantly lower RSA than nonexposed infants. This association was not moderated by prenatal or postnatal ETS exposure, or maternal depressive symptomatology during pregnancy. However, small for gestational age status did moderate this association such that nonexposed infants who were not small for gestational age had a significantly higher RSA than nonexposed small for gestational age infants and exposed infants. These findings provide additional evidence that prenatal cigarette exposure is directly associated with dysregulation during infancy.
