Search

Copyright of Journal of Special Education & Rehabilitation (2314-8608) is the property of Association of Arab Universities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the effect of maternal exposure to physiological, environmental, and also psychological factors during gestation on child development. Several independent studies link maternal stress during pregnancy to emotional and behavioral problems in the child. 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. Thirty-five women in the 28th to 40th week of pregnancy engaged in mathematical activities. Fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA), pulsatility index )PI( and peak systolic velocity (PSV) were monitored before, during, and after the activity. 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. 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Faculty of Education, Beni Suef University is the property of Beni Suef University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)