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Fetal movements: the origin of human behaviour
Christa Einspieler1, Daniela Prayer2, Peter B Marschik1,3,4
1Research Unit iDN, Interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience, Division of Phoniatrics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Insights
Fetal movements begin early in gestation and are crucial for developing brain structures. Prenatal movement assessment can indicate potential nervous system dysfunction, though further research is needed.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Human Behavior
Background:
- Human behavior originates from spontaneously generated fetal movements.
- Fetal movements are intrinsically linked to the development of both peripheral and central nervous system structures.
- Early fetal movements, starting around 7.5 weeks gestation, include general movements, isolated limb/head movements, hiccups, and breathing movements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the significance of fetal movement patterns in development.
- To investigate the association between fetal activity and the maturation of neural structures.
- To highlight the potential of prenatal functional deviations as indicators of developmental brain dysfunction.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on fetal movement onset and ontogeny.
- Analysis of spontaneous fetal movement patterns and their relation to structural development.
- Examination of how developmental brain dysfunction affects fetal general movements.
Main Results:
- Motor output can occur independently of sensory input, demonstrating activity-dependent structural development.
- Fetal general movements are among the earliest observed movement patterns.
- Pregnancy-related and maternal factors influence the quantity and modulation of fetal general movements.
- Deviations in fetal general movements' sequence and gestalt suggest nervous system dysfunction.
Conclusions:
- Fetal movements play a critical role in neurodevelopment.
- Prenatal assessment of general movements shows promise for identifying developmental issues.
- Further comprehensive longitudinal studies are essential to establish the predictive value of prenatal functional deviations.
Abstract:
The study of the onset and ontogeny of human behaviour has made it clear that a multitude of fetal movement patterns are spontaneously generated, and that there is a close association between activity and the development of peripheral and central structures. The embryo starts moving by 7.5 week's gestation; 2 to 3 weeks later, a number of movement patterns including general movements, isolated limb and head movements, hiccup, and breathing movements, appear. Some movements (e.g. yawning, smiling, 'pointing'; we show these in eight videos in this review) precede life-long patterns; others have intrauterine functions, such as sucking/swallowing for amniotic fluid regulation, breathing movements for lung development, or eye movements for retinal cell diversity. In cases of developmental brain dysfunction, fetal general movements alter their sequence and gestalt, which suggests a dysfunction of the developing nervous system. The scarcity of longitudinal studies calls for further comprehensive research on the predictive value of prenatal functional deviations. What this paper adds Motor output can occur in the absence of sensory input. Structural development is activity-dependent. Fetal general movements are among the first movement patterns to occur. Pregnancy-related and maternal factors impact quantity and modulation of fetal general movements. Prenatal general movement assessment has not yet brought the expected breakthrough.
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