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Purpose/aim: Antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) therapy has dramatically increased survival rates among extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. However, the long-term effects of ACS on autonomic nervous system function have not been explored. Using the world's oldest longitudinally followed cohort of ELBW infants we compared respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) among ELBW survivors whose mothers received ACS (ELBW-S), those who did not (ELBW-NS) and normal birth weight (NBW) controls in their 20 and 30 s. Methods: Resting electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded from ELBW-S (n = 28), ELBW-NS (n = 36), and matched NBW controls (n = 79) at 22–26 and 29–36 years. Resting RSA was compared across groups via analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusting for sex, medication use, postnatal steroid exposure and the presence of chronic health conditions. RSA was also compared across assessments for each group. Results: At 29–36 years, resting RSA in ELBW-S was significantly lower than in NBW controls. RSA in the ELBW-NS group was intermediate between ELBW-S and NBW groups. Although the ELBW-S group also showed nominally reduced RSA compared to NBW controls at the 22–26-year visit, this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: ELBW survivors exposed to ACS had lower RSA than NBW controls during their 30 s, suggestive of a decline in parasympathetic input to heart. ELBW survivors who received ACS may be particularly vulnerable to cardiovascular problems in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies have shown that the pattern of resting frontal EEG alpha power and asymmetry and heart rate are predictive of individual differences in affective style in children and adults. Although test-retest reliability of frontal electrocortical and autonomic measures has been established in adult and child and some clinical populations, few studies have examined test-retest reliability of these measures in adolescents. Here, we conducted a pilot study to examine the test-retest reliability of frontal EEG alpha power and asymmetry and heart period and heart rate in 10 typically developing adolescent participants ( M age = 15.9 years) over a 1 month period. We found acceptable test-retest reliability using Pearson and intra-class correlations in left and right mid-frontal alpha power and asymmetry and heart period and heart rate over 1 month. These results provide initial evidence for acceptable levels of test-retest reliability in central and peripheral psychophysiological measures in adolescents used to index affective style in children and adults. Future studies are needed with a larger sample to ensure the reliability of these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]