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Trigeminal airstream stimulation. Maturation-related cardiac and respiratory responses during REM sleep in human
J Ramet1, J P Praud, A M D'Allest
1Laboratory of Physiology, Hôpital Antoine Béclère, Clamart, France.
Insights
The study found that the cardiac and respiratory responses to the Touch Auditory Stimulation (TAS) test in infants mature with age. This means that as infants get older, their responses to the TAS test become less pronounced.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal physiology
- Autonomic nervous system development
- Sleep studies
Background:
- The autonomic nervous system regulates vital functions like heart rate and breathing.
- Infant responses to stimuli can indicate neurological development and autonomic function.
- Understanding these responses is crucial for assessing infant health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cardiac and respiratory responses to Touch Auditory Stimulation (TAS) during REM sleep in infants.
- To determine how these responses change with postconceptional age (PCA).
Main Methods:
- Thirty-three infants (31.5–50 weeks PCA) underwent a standardized TAS test during REM sleep.
- Cardiac (R-R interval) and respiratory (TTOT) responses were measured before and during TAS.
- Changes were compared to baseline and expressed as a percentage of mean control values.
Main Results:
- A significant negative correlation was observed between cardiac and respiratory responses to TAS and postconceptional age (p < 0.001 and p < 0.0001).
- The prolongation of R-R interval and TTOT elicited by TAS was significantly blunted by maturation.
Conclusions:
- Infant cardiac and respiratory responses to TAS during REM sleep are significantly influenced by maturation.
- Autonomic nervous system responses to stimuli become less pronounced as infants mature.
Abstract:
Thirty-three premature and full-term infants (PCA, 31.5 to 50 weeks) who were free from neurologic and cardiopulmonary disease at the time of testing underwent a standardized TAS test during polygraphically controlled REM sleep. The R-R interval and the TTOT were measured before and during TAS. The R-R interval and TTOT changes during TAS were compared to the preceding 60-second mean R-R interval and TTOT in each infant and expressed as a percentage of mean control values (ie, % RR and % TTOT). During TAS, there was a significant negative correlation between cardiac and respiratory responses and postconceptional age (p less than 0.001 and p less than 0.0001, respectively). Prolongation of both the R-R interval and the TTOT elicited by TAS was significantly blunted by maturation.