Continuity of development in brain functions and behaviors from perinatal to young infant periods

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26350924
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Childhood science (childhood environment science)
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Watanabe Hama 東京大学, 大学院教育学研究科(教育学部), 特任准教授 (00512120)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): TAKAHASHI Naoto 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 教授 (50197159) ; TAGA Gentaro 東京大学, 大学院教育学研究科, 教授 (00272477)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 乳児 / 脳機能発達

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this project, we focused functional brain development in perinatal and early infant periods. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to obtain time-averaged phase differences between spontaneous oscillatory changes in oxy-Hb and those in deoxy-Hb. This phase difference was referred to as hemoglobin phase of oxygenation and deoxygenation (hPod) in the cerebral tissue of sleeping neonates and infants. We examined hPod in term, late preterm, and early preterm infants and found that all groups of infants showed developmental changes in the values of hPod from an in-phase to an anti-phase pattern. However, developmental changes in hPod in early preterm infants precede those in late preterm and term infants at term equivalent age but then, progress at a slower pace. This study suggests that hPod measured using fNIRS is sensitive to the developmental stage of the integration of circular, neurovascular, and metabolic functions in the brains of neonates and infants.

Free Research Field

発達科学