The Effect of Maternal Mathematical Activities on the Fetal Brain - Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

OJOG > Vol.8 No.10, August 2018

The Effect of Maternal Mathematical Activities on the Fetal Brain ()

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DOI: 10.4236/ojog.2018.810086 828 Downloads 13,283 Views Citations

Author(s)

Dina Hassidov^1*, Uzi A. Asher², Moshe Ben-Ami³, Leandro Keselman⁴, Ruba Sabri⁴, Sami Haddad³

Affiliation(s)

¹Talpiot College of Education, Holon, Israel.
²Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel.
³The Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
⁴The Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Tiberias, Israel.

ABSTRACT

Background: 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. 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 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. 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.

KEYWORDS

Pregnancy, Fetal Brain, Cognitive Enhancement, Mathematical Activity, Maternal-Fetal Relationship

Share and Cite:

Hassidov, D. , Asher, U. , Ben-Ami, M. , Keselman, L. , Sabri, R. and Haddad, S. (2018) The Effect of Maternal Mathematical Activities on the Fetal Brain. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 8, 826-835. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2018.810086.

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