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Cao M, Kuthiala S, Jean KJ, Liu HL, Courchesne M, Nygard K, Burns P, Desrochers A, Fecteau G, Faure C, Frasch MG. The Vagus Nerve Regulates Immunometabolic Homeostasis in the Ovine Fetus near Term: The Impact on Terminal Ileum. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:38. [PMID: 38248469 PMCID: PMC10812930 DOI: 10.3390/biology13010038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glucosensing elements are widely distributed throughout the body and relay information about circulating glucose levels to the brain via the vagus nerve. However, while anatomical wiring has been established, little is known about the physiological role of the vagus nerve in glucosensing. The contribution of the vagus nerve to inflammation in the fetus is poorly understood. Increased glucose levels and inflammation act synergistically when causing organ injury, but their interplay remains incompletely understood. We hypothesized that vagotomy (Vx) will trigger a rise in systemic glucose levels and this will be enhanced during systemic and organ-specific inflammation. Efferent vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) should reverse this phenotype. METHODS Near-term fetal sheep (n = 57) were surgically prepared using vascular catheters and ECG electrodes as the control and treatment groups (lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Vx + LPS, Vx + LPS + selective efferent VNS). The experiment was started 72 h postoperatively to allow for post-surgical recovery. Inflammation was induced with LPS bolus intravenously (LPS group, 400 ng/fetus/day for 2 days; n = 23). For the Vx + LPS group (n = 11), a bilateral cervical vagotomy was performed during surgery; of these n = 5 received double the LPS dose, LPS800. The Vx + LPS + efferent VNS group (n = 8) received cervical VNS probes bilaterally distal from Vx in eight animals. Efferent VNS was administered for 20 min on days 1 and 2 +/10 min around the LPS bolus. Fetal arterial blood samples were drawn on each postoperative day of recovery (-72 h, -48 h, and -24 h) as well as at the baseline and seven selected time points (3-54 h) to profile inflammation (ELISA IL-6, pg/mL), insulin (ELISA), blood gas, and metabolism (glucose). At 54 h post-LPS, a necropsy was performed, and the terminal ileum macrophages' CD11c (M1 phenotype) immunofluorescence was quantified to detect inflammation. The results are reported for p < 0.05 and for Spearman R2 > 0.1. The results are presented as the median (IQR). RESULTS Across the treatment groups, blood gas and cardiovascular changes indicated mild septicemia. At 3 h in the LPS group, IL-6 peaked. That peak was decreased in the Vx + LPS400 group and doubled in the Vx + LPS800 group. The efferent VNS sped up the reduction in the inflammatory response profile over 54 h. The M1 macrophage activity was increased in the LPS and Vx + LPS800 groups only. The glucose and insulin concentrations in the Vx + LPS group were, respectively, 1.3-fold (throughout the experiment) and 2.3-fold higher vs. control (at 3 h). The efferent VNS normalized the glucose concentrations. CONCLUSIONS The complete withdrawal of vagal innervation resulted in a 72-h delayed onset of a sustained increase in glucose for at least 54 h and intermittent hyperinsulinemia. Under the conditions of moderate fetal inflammation, this was related to higher levels of gut inflammation. The efferent VNS reduced the systemic inflammatory response as well as restored both the concentrations of glucose and the degree of terminal ileum inflammation, but not the insulin concentrations. Supporting our hypothesis, these findings revealed a novel regulatory, hormetic, role of the vagus nerve in the immunometabolic response to endotoxin in near-term fetuses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingju Cao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Department of Neurosciences, CHU Ste-Justine Research Centre, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; (M.C.)
| | - Shikha Kuthiala
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Department of Neurosciences, CHU Ste-Justine Research Centre, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; (M.C.)
| | - Keven Jason Jean
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Department of Neurosciences, CHU Ste-Justine Research Centre, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; (M.C.)
| | - Hai Lun Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Department of Neurosciences, CHU Ste-Justine Research Centre, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; (M.C.)
| | - Marc Courchesne
- Biotron Microscopy, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Karen Nygard
- Biotron Microscopy, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Patrick Burns
- Clinical Sciences, CHUV, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada (A.D.)
| | - André Desrochers
- Clinical Sciences, CHUV, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada (A.D.)
| | - Gilles Fecteau
- Clinical Sciences, CHUV, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada (A.D.)
| | - Christophe Faure
- Department of Pediatrics, CHU Ste-Justine Research Centre, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Martin G. Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Department of Neurosciences, CHU Ste-Justine Research Centre, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; (M.C.)
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction Animale, l’Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Institute on Human Development and Disability, School of Medicine, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific St Box 356460, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Tilwani D, Bradshaw J, Sheth A, O'Reilly C. ECG Recordings as Predictors of Very Early Autism Likelihood: A Machine Learning Approach. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:827. [PMID: 37508854 PMCID: PMC10376813 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10070827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a rise in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The diagnosis of ASD requires behavioral observation and standardized testing completed by highly trained experts. Early intervention for ASD can begin as early as 1-2 years of age, but ASD diagnoses are not typically made until ages 2-5 years, thus delaying the start of intervention. There is an urgent need for non-invasive biomarkers to detect ASD in infancy. While previous research using physiological recordings has focused on brain-based biomarkers of ASD, this study investigated the potential of electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings as an ASD biomarker in 3-6-month-old infants. We recorded the heart activity of infants at typical and elevated familial likelihood for ASD during naturalistic interactions with objects and caregivers. After obtaining the ECG signals, features such as heart rate variability (HRV) and sympathetic and parasympathetic activities were extracted. Then we evaluated the effectiveness of multiple machine learning classifiers for classifying ASD likelihood. Our findings support our hypothesis that infant ECG signals contain important information about ASD familial likelihood. Amongthe various machine learning algorithms tested, KNN performed best according to sensitivity (0.70 ± 0.117), F1-score (0.689 ± 0.124), precision (0.717 ± 0.128), accuracy (0.70 ± 0.117, p-value = 0.02), and ROC (0.686 ± 0.122, p-value = 0.06). These results suggest that ECG signals contain relevant information about the likelihood of an infant developing ASD. Future studies should consider the potential of information contained in ECG, and other indices of autonomic control, for the development of biomarkers of ASD in infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepa Tilwani
- Artificial Intelligence Institute, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Carolina Autism and Neurodevelopment Research Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Jessica Bradshaw
- Carolina Autism and Neurodevelopment Research Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Amit Sheth
- Artificial Intelligence Institute, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Christian O'Reilly
- Artificial Intelligence Institute, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Carolina Autism and Neurodevelopment Research Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
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Frasch MG. Heart Rate Variability Code: Does It Exist and Can We Hack It? Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:822. [PMID: 37508849 PMCID: PMC10375964 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10070822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
A code is generally defined as a system of signals or symbols for communication. Experimental evidence is synthesized for the presence and utility of such communication in heart rate variability (HRV) with particular attention to fetal HRV: HRV contains signatures of information flow between the organs and of response to physiological or pathophysiological stimuli as signatures of states (or syndromes). HRV exhibits features of time structure, phase space structure, specificity with respect to (organ) target and pathophysiological syndromes, and universality with respect to species independence. Together, these features form a spatiotemporal structure, a phase space, that can be conceived of as a manifold of a yet-to-be-fully understood dynamic complexity. The objective of this article is to synthesize physiological evidence supporting the existence of HRV code: hereby, the process-specific subsets of HRV measures indirectly map the phase space traversal reflecting the specific information contained in the code required for the body to regulate the physiological responses to those processes. The following physiological examples of HRV code are reviewed, which are reflected in specific changes to HRV properties across the signal-analytical domains and across physiological states and conditions: the fetal systemic inflammatory response, organ-specific inflammatory responses (brain and gut), chronic hypoxia and intrinsic (heart) HRV (iHRV), allostatic load (physiological stress due to surgery), and vagotomy (bilateral cervical denervation). Future studies are proposed to test these observations in more depth, and the author refers the interested reader to the referenced publications for a detailed study of the HRV measures involved. While being exemplified mostly in the studies of fetal HRV, the presented framework promises more specific fetal, postnatal, and adult HRV biomarkers of health and disease, which can be obtained non-invasively and continuously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Gerbert Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Institute on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Dynamic touch induces autonomic changes in preterm infants as measured by changes in heart rate variability. Brain Res 2023; 1799:148169. [PMID: 36410429 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2022.148169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Preterm birth significantly increases the risk of developing various long-term health problems and developmental disabilities. While touch is a crucial component of many perinatal care strategies, the neurobiological underpinnings are rarely considered. C-tactile fibers (CTs) are unmyelinated nerve fibers that are activated by low-force, dynamic touch. Touch directed specifically at CTs activates the posterior insular cortex, consistent with an interoceptive function, and has been shown to reduce heart rate and increase oxygen saturation. The current research compared the effect of five minutes of CT optimal velocity stroking touch versus five minutes of static touch on autonomic markers of preterm infants between 28 and 37 weeks gestational age. CT touch induces a higher increase in heart rate variability metrics related to the parasympathetic system, which persisted for a 5-minute post-touch period. Conversely, there was no such increase in infants receiving static touch. The present findings confirmed that CTs signal the affective quality of nurturing touch, thereby arguing an additional neurobiological substrate for the evident valuable impacts of neonatal tactile interventions and improving the effectiveness of such interventions.
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Frasch MG. Heart Rate as a Non-Invasive Biomarker of Inflammation: Implications for Digital Health. Front Immunol 2022; 13:930445. [PMID: 35720409 PMCID: PMC9201903 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.930445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Martin G. Frasch
- Department of OBGYN and Center on Human Development and Disability (CHDD), University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Manzotti A, Cerritelli F, Lombardi E, Monzani E, Savioli L, Esteves JE, Galli M, La Rocca S, Biasi P, Chiera M, Lista G. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Regulates Autonomic Markers in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:813. [PMID: 35627950 PMCID: PMC9141319 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10050813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) has been found to be effective in the context of premature infants. Nonetheless, no studies have investigated the immediate effects of OMT on heart rate variability (HRV). As altered HRV reflects poor or worsening newborn's clinical conditions and neurodevelopment, should OMT improve HRV fluctuations, it could become a relevant intervention for improving the care of preterm newborns. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether OMT could affect HRV. The study was carried out at the Buzzi Hospital in Milan. From the neonatal intensive care unit, ninety-six preterm infants (41 males) were enrolled and were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: OMT or Static Touch. The infants were born at 33.5 weeks (±4.3) and had a mean birth weight of 2067 g (±929). The study had as primary outcome the change in the beat-to-beat variance in heart rate measured through root mean square of consecutive RR interval differences (RMSSD); other metrics were used as secondary and exploratory analyses. Despite the lack of statistically significant results regarding the primary outcomeand some study limitations, compared to static touch, OMT seemed to favor a parasympathetic modulation and improved HRV, which could reflect improvement in newborn's clinical conditions and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Manzotti
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Division of Neonatology, “V. Buzzi” Children’s Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, 20157 Milan, Italy;
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Cerritelli
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Erica Lombardi
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Monzani
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Luca Savioli
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Jorge E. Esteves
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Research Department, Malta ICOM Educational, GZR 1071 Gzira, Malta
| | - Matteo Galli
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Simona La Rocca
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Pamela Biasi
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Chiera
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Gianluca Lista
- Division of Neonatology, “V. Buzzi” Children’s Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, 20157 Milan, Italy;
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Cerritelli F, Frasch MG, Antonelli MC, Viglione C, Vecchi S, Chiera M, Manzotti A. A Review on the Vagus Nerve and Autonomic Nervous System During Fetal Development: Searching for Critical Windows. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:721605. [PMID: 34616274 PMCID: PMC8488382 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.721605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is one of the main biological systems that regulates the body's physiology. Autonomic nervous system regulatory capacity begins before birth as the sympathetic and parasympathetic activity contributes significantly to the fetus' development. In particular, several studies have shown how vagus nerve is involved in many vital processes during fetal, perinatal, and postnatal life: from the regulation of inflammation through the anti-inflammatory cholinergic pathway, which may affect the functioning of each organ, to the production of hormones involved in bioenergetic metabolism. In addition, the vagus nerve has been recognized as the primary afferent pathway capable of transmitting information to the brain from every organ of the body. Therefore, this hypothesis paper aims to review the development of ANS during fetal and perinatal life, focusing particularly on the vagus nerve, to identify possible "critical windows" that could impact its maturation. These "critical windows" could help clinicians know when to monitor fetuses to effectively assess the developmental status of both ANS and specifically the vagus nerve. In addition, this paper will focus on which factors-i.e., fetal characteristics and behaviors, maternal lifestyle and pathologies, placental health and dysfunction, labor, incubator conditions, and drug exposure-may have an impact on the development of the vagus during the above-mentioned "critical window" and how. This analysis could help clinicians and stakeholders define precise guidelines for improving the management of fetuses and newborns, particularly to reduce the potential adverse environmental impacts on ANS development that may lead to persistent long-term consequences. Since the development of ANS and the vagus influence have been shown to be reflected in cardiac variability, this paper will rely in particular on studies using fetal heart rate variability (fHRV) to monitor the continued growth and health of both animal and human fetuses. In fact, fHRV is a non-invasive marker whose changes have been associated with ANS development, vagal modulation, systemic and neurological inflammatory reactions, and even fetal distress during labor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Cerritelli
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Martin G. Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Marta C. Antonelli
- Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia “Prof. E. De Robertis”, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Chiara Viglione
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Stefano Vecchi
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Marco Chiera
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Andrea Manzotti
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, “V. Buzzi” Children's Hospital, Azienda Socio-Sanitaria Territoriale Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
- Research Department, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
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Roux SG, Garnier NB, Abry P, Gold N, Frasch MG. Distance to Healthy Metabolic and Cardiovascular Dynamics From Fetal Heart Rate Scale-Dependent Features in Pregnant Sheep Model of Human Labor Predicts the Evolution of Acidemia and Cardiovascular Decompensation. Front Pediatr 2021; 9:660476. [PMID: 34414140 PMCID: PMC8369259 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2021.660476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The overarching goal of the present work is to contribute to the understanding of the relations between fetal heart rate (FHR) temporal dynamics and the well-being of the fetus, notably in terms of predicting the evolution of lactate, pH and cardiovascular decompensation (CVD). It makes uses of an established animal model of human labor, where 14 near-term ovine fetuses subjected to umbilical cord occlusions (UCO) were instrumented to permit regular intermittent measurements of metabolites lactate and base excess, pH, and continuous recording of electrocardiogram (ECG) and systemic arterial blood pressure (to identify CVD) during UCO. ECG-derived FHR was digitized at the sampling rate of 1,000 Hz and resampled to 4 Hz, as used in clinical routine. We focused on four FHR variability features which are tunable to temporal scales of FHR dynamics, robustly computable from FHR sampled at 4 Hz and within short-time sliding windows, hence permitting a time-dependent, or local, analysis of FHR which helps dealing with signal noise. Results show the sensitivity of the proposed features for early detection of CVD, correlation to metabolites and pH, useful for early acidosis detection and the importance of coarse time scales (2.5-8 s) which are not disturbed by the low FHR sampling rate. Further, we introduce the performance of an individualized self-referencing metric of the distance to healthy state, based on a combination of the four features. We demonstrate that this novel metric, applied to clinically available FHR temporal dynamics alone, accurately predicts the time occurrence of CVD which heralds a clinically significant degradation of the fetal health reserve to tolerate the trial of labor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephane G. Roux
- Laboratoire de Physique, Université Lyon, Ens de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard, CNRS, Lyon, France
| | - Nicolas B. Garnier
- Laboratoire de Physique, Université Lyon, Ens de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard, CNRS, Lyon, France
| | - Patrice Abry
- Laboratoire de Physique, Université Lyon, Ens de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard, CNRS, Lyon, France
| | - Nathan Gold
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for Quantitative Analysis and Modelling, Fields Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Martin G. Frasch
- Department of OBGYN, Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Herry CL, Soares HMF, Schuler-Faccini L, Frasch MG. Machine learning model on heart rate variability metrics identifies asymptomatic toddlers exposed to zika virus during pregnancy. Physiol Meas 2021; 42. [PMID: 33984844 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6579/ac010e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Objective. Although the Zika virus (ZIKV) seems to be prominently neurotropic, there are some reports of involvement of other organs, particularly the heart. Of special concern are those children exposed prenatally to ZIKV and born without microcephaly or other congenital anomalies. Electrocardiogram (ECG)-derived heart rate variability (HRV) metrics represent an attractive, low-cost, widely deployable tool for early identification of developmental functional alterations in exposed children born without such overt clinical symptoms. We hypothesized that HRV in such children would yield a biomarker of fetal ZIKV exposure. Our objective was to test this hypothesis in young children exposed to ZIKV during pregnancy.Approach. We investigated the HRV properties of 21 children aged 4-25 months from Brazil. The infants were divided into two groups, the ZIKV-exposed (n = 13) and controls (n = 8). Single-channel ECG was recorded in each child at ∼15 months of age and HRV was analyzed in 5 min segments to provide a comprehensive characterization of the degree of variability and complexity of the heart rate.Main results.Using a cubic support vector machine classifier we identified babies as Zika cases or controls with a negative predictive value of 92% and a positive predictive value of 86%. Our results show that a machine learning model derived from HRV metrics can help differentiate between ZIKV-affected, yet asymptomatic, and non-ZIKV-exposed babies. We identified the box count as the best HRV metric in this study allowing such differentiation, regardless of the presence of microcephaly.Significance.We show that it is feasible to measure HRV in infants and toddlers using a small non-invasive portable ECG device and that such an approach may uncover the memory ofin uteroexposure to ZIKV. We discuss putative mechanisms. This approach may be useful for future studies and low-cost screening tools involving this challenging to examine population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Helena M F Soares
- INAGEMP-Departamento de Genética-Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Lavinia Schuler-Faccini
- INAGEMP-Departamento de Genética-Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Martin G Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
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Recording and manipulation of vagus nerve electrical activity in chronically instrumented unanesthetized near term fetal sheep. J Neurosci Methods 2021; 360:109257. [PMID: 34139266 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2021.109257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The chronically instrumented pregnant sheep has been used as a model of human fetal development and responses to pathophysiologic stimuli. This is due to the unique amenability of the unanesthetized fetal sheep to the surgical placement and maintenance of catheters and electrodes, allowing repetitive blood sampling, substance injection, recording of bioelectrical activity, application of electric stimulation, and in vivo organ imaging. Recently, there has been growing interest in the pleiotropic effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on various organ systems such as innate immunity and inflammation, and metabolism. There is no approach to study this in utero and corresponding physiological understanding is scarce. NEW METHOD Based on our previous presentation of a stable chronically instrumented unanesthetized fetal sheep model, here we describe the surgical instrumentation procedure allowing successful implantation of a cervical uni- or bilateral VNS probe with or without vagotomy. RESULTS In a cohort of 68 animals, we present the changes in blood gas, metabolic, and inflammatory markers during the postoperative period. We detail the design of a VNS probe which also allows recording from the fetal nerve. We also present an example of fetal vagus electroneurogram (VENG) recorded from the VNS probe and an analytical approach to the data. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS This method represents the first implementation of fetal VENG/VNS in a large pregnant mammalian organism. CONCLUSIONS This study describes a new surgical procedure allowing to record and manipulate chronically fetal vagus nerve activity in an animal model of human pregnancy.
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Frasch MG, Walter B, Herry CL, Bauer R. Multimodal pathophysiological dataset of gradual cerebral ischemia in a cohort of juvenile pigs. Sci Data 2021; 8:4. [PMID: 33414507 PMCID: PMC7791136 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-00781-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Ischemic brain injuries are frequent and difficult to detect reliably or early. We present the multi-modal data set containing cardiovascular (blood pressure, blood flow, electrocardiogram) and brain electrical activities to derive electroencephalogram (EEG) biomarkers of corticothalamic communication under normal, sedation, and hypoxic/ischemic conditions with ensuing recovery. We provide technical validation using EEGLAB. We also delineate the corresponding changes in the electrocardiogram (ECG)-derived heart rate variability (HRV) with the potential for future in-depth analyses of joint EEG-ECG dynamics. We review an open-source methodology to derive signatures of coupling between the ECoG and electrothalamogram (EThG) signals contained in the presented data set to better characterize the dynamics of thalamocortical communication during these clinically relevant states. The data set is presented in full band sampled at 2000 Hz, so the additional potential exists for insights from the full-band EEG and high-frequency oscillations under the bespoke experimental conditions. Future studies on the dataset may contribute to the development of new brain monitoring technologies, which will facilitate the prevention of neurological injuries. Measurement(s) | EEG with persistent abnormal rhythmic activity • electrocardiogram • Electrothalamogram • cerebral blood flow measurement • positive regulation of heart rate involved in baroreceptor response to decreased systemic arterial blood pressure • cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen • cerebral perfusion pressure | Technology Type(s) | electrophysiology assay • extracellular electrophysiology recording assay • fluorescent colormicrospheres • Electrophysiology | Factor Type(s) | sedation • cerebral ischemia • recovery | Sample Characteristic - Organism | Sus scrofa | Sample Characteristic - Environment | laboratory environment |
Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.13251176
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin G Frasch
- University of Washington School of Medicine, Center on Human Development and Disability, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Bernd Walter
- Department of Spine Surgery and Neurotraumatology, SRH Waldklinikum, Gera, Germany.,Institute of Molecular Cell Biology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Christophe L Herry
- Dynamical Analysis Lab, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Reinhard Bauer
- Institute of Molecular Cell Biology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
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Frasch MG, Shen C, Wu HT, Mueller A, Neuhaus E, Bernier RA, Kamara D, Beauchaine TP. Brief Report: Can a Composite Heart Rate Variability Biomarker Shed New Insights About Autism Spectrum Disorder in School-Aged Children? J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 51:346-356. [PMID: 32449059 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04467-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Several studies show altered heart rate variability (HRV) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but findings are neither universal nor specific to ASD. We apply a set of linear and nonlinear HRV measures-including phase rectified signal averaging-to segments of resting ECG data collected from school-age children with ASD, age-matched typically developing controls, and children with other psychiatric conditions characterized by altered HRV (conduct disorder, depression). We use machine learning to identify time, frequency, and geometric signal-analytical domains that are specific to ASD (receiver operating curve area = 0.89). This is the first study to differentiate children with ASD from other disorders characterized by altered HRV. Despite a small cohort and lack of external validation, results warrant larger prospective studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin G Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Chao Shen
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Hau-Tieng Wu
- Department of Mathematics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Alexander Mueller
- Innere Medizin 1, Department of Cardiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Emily Neuhaus
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Seattle Children's Autism Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Raphael A Bernier
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Dana Kamara
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Frasch MG. Letter to the Editor: Mind the gap: epistemology of heart rate variability. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2020; 319:R343-R344. [PMID: 32845173 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00183.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin G Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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Chiera M, Cerritelli F, Casini A, Barsotti N, Boschiero D, Cavigioli F, Corti CG, Manzotti A. Heart Rate Variability in the Perinatal Period: A Critical and Conceptual Review. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:561186. [PMID: 33071738 PMCID: PMC7544983 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.561186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) greatly expand the use of technology. There is a need to accurately diagnose discomfort, pain, and complications, such as sepsis, mainly before they occur. While specific treatments are possible, they are often time-consuming, invasive, or painful, with detrimental effects for the development of the infant. In the last 40 years, heart rate variability (HRV) has emerged as a non-invasive measurement to monitor newborns and infants, but it still is underused. Hence, the present paper aims to review the utility of HRV in neonatology and the instruments available to assess it, showing how HRV could be an innovative tool in the years to come. When continuously monitored, HRV could help assess the baby’s overall wellbeing and neurological development to detect stress-/pain-related behaviors or pathological conditions, such as respiratory distress syndrome and hyperbilirubinemia, to address when to perform procedures to reduce the baby’s stress/pain and interventions, such as therapeutic hypothermia, and to avoid severe complications, such as sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis, thus reducing mortality. Based on literature and previous experiences, the first step to efficiently introduce HRV in the NICUs could consist in a monitoring system that uses photoplethysmography, which is low-cost and non-invasive, and displays one or a few metrics with good clinical utility. However, to fully harness HRV clinical potential and to greatly improve neonatal care, the monitoring systems will have to rely on modern bioinformatics (machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms), which could easily integrate infant’s HRV metrics, vital signs, and especially past history, thus elaborating models capable to efficiently monitor and predict the infant’s clinical conditions. For this reason, hospitals and institutions will have to establish tight collaborations between the obstetric, neonatal, and pediatric departments: this way, healthcare would truly improve in every stage of the perinatal period (from conception to the first years of life), since information about patients’ health would flow freely among different professionals, and high-quality research could be performed integrating the data recorded in those departments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Chiera
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy.,Research Commission on Manual Therapies and Mind-Body Disciplines, Societ Italiana di Psico Neuro Endocrino Immunologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Cerritelli
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Alessandro Casini
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Nicola Barsotti
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy.,Research Commission on Manual Therapies and Mind-Body Disciplines, Societ Italiana di Psico Neuro Endocrino Immunologia, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Cavigioli
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, "V. Buzzi" Children's Hospital, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Carla G Corti
- Pediatric Cardiology Unit-Pediatric Department, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Manzotti
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy.,Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, "V. Buzzi" Children's Hospital, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy.,Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
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Frasch MG, Giussani DA. Impact of Chronic Fetal Hypoxia and Inflammation on Cardiac Pacemaker Cell Development. Cells 2020; 9:E733. [PMID: 32192015 PMCID: PMC7140710 DOI: 10.3390/cells9030733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic fetal hypoxia and infection are examples of adverse conditions during complicated pregnancy, which impact cardiac myogenesis and increase the lifetime risk of heart disease. However, the effects that chronic hypoxic or inflammatory environments exert on cardiac pacemaker cells are poorly understood. Here, we review the current evidence and novel avenues of bench-to-bed research in this field of perinatal cardiogenesis as well as its translational significance for early detection of future risk for cardiovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin G. Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Dino A. Giussani
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, UK;
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Frasch MG, Herry CL, Niu Y, Giussani DA. First evidence that intrinsic fetal heart rate variability exists and is affected by hypoxic pregnancy. J Physiol 2020; 598:249-263. [PMID: 31802494 DOI: 10.1113/jp278773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS We introduce a technique to test whether intrinsic fetal heart rate variability (iFHRV) exists and we show the utility of the technique by testing the hypothesis that iFHRV is affected by chronic fetal hypoxia, one of the most common adverse outcomes of human pregnancy complicated by fetal growth restriction. Using an established late gestation ovine model of fetal development under chronic hypoxic conditions, we identify iFHRV in isolated fetal hearts and show that it is markedly affected by hypoxic pregnancy. Therefore, the isolated fetal heart has intrinsic variability and carries a memory of adverse intrauterine conditions experienced during the last third of pregnancy. ABSTRACT Fetal heart rate variability (FHRV) emerges from influences of the autonomic nervous system, fetal body and breathing movements, and from baroreflex and circadian processes. We tested whether intrinsic heart rate variability (iHRV), devoid of any external influences, exists in the fetal period and whether it is affected by chronic fetal hypoxia. Chronically catheterized ewes carrying male singleton fetuses were exposed to normoxia (n = 6) or hypoxia (10% inspired O2 , n = 9) for the last third of gestation (105-138 days of gestation (dG); term ∼145 dG) in isobaric chambers. At 138 dG, isolated hearts were studied using a Langendorff preparation. We calculated basal intrinsic FHRV (iFHRV) indices reflecting iFHRV's variability, predictability, temporal symmetry, fractality and chaotic behaviour, from the systolic peaks within 15 min segments in each heart. Significance was assumed at P < 0.05. Hearts of fetuses isolated from hypoxic pregnancy showed approximately 4-fold increases in the Grid transformation as well as the AND similarity index (sgridAND) and a 4-fold reduction in the scale-dependent Lyapunov exponent slope. We also detected a 2-fold reduction in the Recurrence quantification analysis, percentage of laminarity (pL) and recurrences, maximum and average diagonal line (dlmax, dlmean) and the Multiscale time irreversibility asymmetry index. The iHRV measures dlmax, dlmean, pL and sgridAND correlated with left ventricular end-diastolic pressure across both groups (average R2 = 0.38 ± 0.03). This is the first evidence that iHRV originates in fetal life and that chronic fetal hypoxia significantly alters it. Isolated fetal hearts from hypoxic pregnancy exhibit a time scale-dependent higher complexity in iFHRV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin G Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christophe L Herry
- Dynamical Analysis Laboratory, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Youguo Niu
- Department of Physiology Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dino A Giussani
- Department of Physiology Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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