Regulation of Breathing in the Newborn During Different Behavioral States

In the newborn, reflexes that regulate breathing change remarkably in different states of sleep and wakefulness. The aim of this review is to introduce the reader to literature on this topic. Behavioral states and respiratory reflexes have been studied for many years, but integration of these two disciplines is recent. Despite this, the literature already is extensive, especially in some clinical areas. In this review, the bibliography emphasizes a comparison of sleep states and studies in healthy babies and newborn animals. For important concepts not yet tested in the newborn, some studies undertaken at older ages are cited. Many valuable scientific contributions, including much pioneering research in the anesthetized state, had to be omitted due to space limitations. When appropriate, the text will state when authors have contributed important papers that can be found easily in recent publications. For more broadly based reviews, the reader should consult (27, 42, 46, 50).