[Behavioral states. An in utero study]

This study aims to show how a single linear transducer and different state variables can be used to enable accurate identification of behavioural states.

Prospective observation study.

Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynaecology III at the "Federico II" University of Naples.

Fifteen fetuses of women hospitalized in the Clinic of Gynaecology at the "Federico II" University of Naples at the end of a full-term, uncomplicated, single pregnancy with a reliably dated last menstruation.

Ultrasound observation, registration and data processing of various fetal activities in the uterus mouth movements (sucking), other mouth movements, eye movements, gross body movements.

The fetal activities identified correspond exactly to the criteria established for the definition of state variables. An examination of the data thus obtained shows an inverse correlation between mouth movements and the other activities, and a direct correlation between the other three variables we considered.

The results obtained in our study show that this method can be profitably used to identify the behavioural states, in full-term, uncomplicated pregnancies.