Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Nov 10:8:203-225.
doi: 10.1016/j.cnp.2023.11.002. eCollection 2023.

The effect of acute respiratory events and respiratory stimulants on EEG-recorded brain activity in neonates: A systematic review

Fatima Usman  1 , Simon Marchant  1 , Luke Baxter  1 , Hamisu M Salihu  2 , Muktar H Aliyu  3 , Eleri Adams  4 , Caroline Hartley  1
Affiliations
Review

The effect of acute respiratory events and respiratory stimulants on EEG-recorded brain activity in neonates: A systematic review

Fatima Usman et al. Clin Neurophysiol Pract. .

Abstract

Objective: We conducted a systematic review to investigate electroencephalography (EEG) changes during periods of acute respiratory events such as apnoea and the effect of respiratory stimulants on EEG features in infants.

Methods: Studies examining respiration and EEG-recorded brain activity in human neonates between 28 and 42 weeks postmenstrual age were included. Two reviewers independently screened all records and included studies were assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022339873).

Results: We identified 14 studies with a total of 534 infants. Nine articles assessed EEG changes in relation to apnoea, one assessed hiccups, and four investigated the effect of respiratory stimulants. The relationship between neonatal apnoea and EEG changes was inconsistent; EEG suppression and decreased amplitude and frequency were observed during some, but not all, apnoeas. Respiratory stimulants increased EEG continuity compared with before use.

Conclusions: Current studies in this area are constrained by small sample sizes. Diverse exposure definitions and outcome measures impact inference.

Significance: This review highlights the need for further work; understanding the relationship between respiration and the developing brain is key to mitigating the long-term effects of apnoea.

Keywords: Apnoea; EEG; Inter-breath interval; Preterm; Respiration; Respiratory stimulants.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prisma flow chart showing search outcome and article selection process for the review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abu-Shaweesh J.M., Martin R.J. Neonatal apnea: what’s new? Pediatr. Pulmonol. 2008;43:937–944. doi: 10.1002/ppul.20832. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Adjei T., Purdy R., Jorge J., Adams E., Buckle M., Evans Fry R., et al. New method to measure interbreath intervals in infants for the assessment of apnoea and respiration. BMJ Open Respir. Res. 2021;8:1–9. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2021-001042. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. André M., Lamblin M., D’Allest A., Curzi-Dascalova L., Mousalli-Salefarnque F., Tich S.N.T., et al. Electroencephalography in premature and full-term infants. Developmental Features and Glossary. Clin. Neurophysiol. 2010;40:59–124. doi: 10.1016/j.neucli.2010.02.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aromataris, E., Munn, Z. (Eds.), 2020. JBI manual for evidence synthesis, JBI. 10.1891/9780826152268.0012. - DOI
    1. Bridgers S.L., Ment L.R., Ebersole J.S., Ehrenkranz R.A. Cassette electroencephalographic recording of neonates with apneic episodes. Pediatr. Neurol. 1985;1:219–222. doi: 10.1016/S0887-8994(85)80003-5. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources