Neurophysiology of fetal behavior

During recent decades, the development of ultrasonic techniques has enabled the direct visualization of fetal life in utero. Real-time recording of fetal activity in various periods of gestation and the analysis of behavioral patterns have resulted in the detailed description of sequential changes in fetal behavior and provided information about the functional development of the fetal central nervous system. It is generally accepted that patterns of fetal activity reflect the development and maturation of the central nervous system. Therefore, the distinction between normal and abnormal fetal behavior could make possible the detection of discrete structural brain abnormalities. Fetal behavioral patterns throughout gestation and their correlation with structural developmental events are discussed in this review.