Study on the relationship between "difficulty child" and fetal behavior

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18H00994
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 09030:Childhood and nursery/pre-school education-related
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Morokuma Seiichi 九州大学, 医学研究院, 教授 (50380639)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 荒田 晶子 兵庫医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (00266082) ; 大村 吉幸 東京大学, 大学院情報理工学系研究科, 特任研究員 (10598022)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 胎児 / 発達 / 育てにくさ / 自閉スペクトラム症

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We observed the behavior of human fetuses using ultrasonography, and clarified the relationship between eye movement density, which indicates REM sleep activity, and postnatal development and sleep-wake rhythms. We also used information from the JECS study to analyze the association between maternal physical activity and sleep before and during pregnancy and children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by the age of 3 years. They found that mothers who were more physically active during pregnancy had a lower risk ratio for ASD in their 3-year-olds. In addition, sleep disturbances during pregnancy tended to increase the risk ratio
In animal studies, the behavior of rat fetuses was observed by ultrasound tomography under unanesthetized conditions. Analyses of homology and neural circuit formation in human and rat development are in progress.

Free Research Field

周産期医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

胎児の行動観察により、生後の育てにくさの要因が胎児期にはじまっていることを初めて報告し、胎児期の環境要因として母体の生活習慣が生後の児の睡眠の問題や気質と関連があること、さらに、自閉スペクトラム症発症とも関連があることを示した。
以上のように、妊娠中に生後の育てにくさや発達障害の要因があることを示したことは、学術的に意義がある。
近年、社会問題となっている発達障害の増加に関して、今後の取組に示唆を与えるものであり、社会的意義も大きいと考える。