Changes in the temporal structure of periodic breathing with postnatal development in preterm infants

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Updated: Nov 5, 2026

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
06:34

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

M H Wilkinson1, S Cranage, P J Berger

  • 1Institute of Reproduction and Development, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.

Pediatric Research
|October 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

Periodic breathing cycle duration decreases with age in preterm infants, similar to term infants, suggesting peripheral chemoreceptor maturation. This study tracked changes in periodic cycle duration (PCD) over six months.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal physiology
  • Respiratory control

Background:

  • Periodic breathing is common in infants.
  • Periodic cycle duration (PCD) decreases with age in term infants, linked to chemoreceptor maturation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if PCD decreases with postnatal age in preterm infants.
  • To compare PCD changes in preterm infants to those in term infants.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 4 preterm infants over 6 months.
  • 36 nap studies measuring periodic breathing and periodic cycle duration (PCD).

Main Results:

  • PCD declined from 17.1 s at 9 days to 9.8 s at 105 days.
  • No significant change in PCD was observed beyond 105 days.
  • Ventilatory to apneic interval ratio (V/A) showed characteristic changes within breathing epochs.

Conclusions:

  • Preterm infants exhibit a decrease in PCD with postnatal age, similar to term infants.
  • Findings support the role of peripheral chemoreceptor maturation in regulating periodic breathing.
  • Potential discrepancies with other studies on preterm infants warrant further investigation.

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