Background: In recent years, there has been growing interest in the effect of
maternal exposure to physiological, environmental, and also psychological
factors during gestationon child development. Several independent studies link maternal stress
during pregnancy to emotional and behavioral problems in the child. Objectives:
This study aimed to observe the effect of maternal cognitive activity on fetal
brain blood flow to determine whether systematic maternal mathematical activity
during pregnancy might influence child brain development. Method: Thirty-five
women in the 28th to 40th week of pregnancyengaged
in mathematical activities. Fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA), pulsatilityindex
(PI) and peak systolic velocity (PSV) were monitored before, during, and after
the activity. Results: Brain activity and blood flow were shown to be
intimately linked. We observed a significant decrease in fetal brain MCA
resistance, as evidenced by decreased MCA PI, towards the end of the
mathematical activity. This may result in increased blood flow in the arteries
supplying most brain regions and, possibly, increased brain activity. Conclusions:
A correlation between the mother’s engagement in mathematical activities and
fetal brain blood flow may lead to enhancement of the fetus’s brain function
and a cognitive advantage for the child.
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