Formation of coordination in fetal behavior

Abstract

The developing coordination in the fetal nervous system can be evaluated from heart rate and movement patterns. According to universal principles of development and self-organization heart rate indices of fluctuation amplitude, complexity, and pattern formation constitute a fetal autonomic brain age score (fABAS). The formation of fetal body movement related heart rate accelerations represents a particular aspect of the developing central nervous coordination. The work aims at the analysis of those types of maturation characteristics based on magnetocardiographic recordings of normal fetuses.