When two hearts beat as one
Thursday July 22nd, 2010
Pregnant women can synchronise their heartbeats with those of their unborn babies, according to a remarkable finding by British researchers.
A woman has to breath rhythmically for the phenomenon to occur, according to the study at Aberdeen University.
The
finding may also help with monitoring of new babies - as according to
its discoverers, an absence of synchronisation may signal problems.
Researchers used a device called a magnetocardiograph to monitor the hearts of mother and baby simultaneously. Computer programming then had to be used to generate details of heartbeats.
Dr Marco Thiel, a physicist at Aberdeen, said: "Pregnant mothers often report an awareness of a bond with their child, but until now there has been no hard evidence to suggest this bond is reflected in the interaction of their heartbeats.
"Our findings reveal that synchronisation between the heartbeat of a mother and foetus does actually occur - but only when the mother is breathing in a rhythmical fashion.
The foetus can sense the rhythmical shift in the mother’s heartbeat and adapts its own heartbeat accordingly.
"Importantly, the phenomenon does not occur when a mother is breathing normally."
The technology is now being tested in practice in the care of pregnant women at the Grönemeyer Institute for Microtherapy, Witten/Herdenke University, Germany.
* Meanwhile French researchers say they have found the gene responsible for a baby's first breath.
The research conducted in Paris and Marseilles has been reported in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Teashirt 3 regulates development of neurons involved in both repiratory rhythm and air flow control, X. Caubit, M. Thoby-Brisson, N. Voituron, P. Filippi, M. Bévengut, H. Faralli, S. Zanella, G. Fortin, G. Hilaire, and L. Fasano. The Journal of Neuroscience, 14 July 2010.
Tags: Childbirth and Pregnancy | Europe | UK News | Women’s Health & Gynaecology
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