The role of the vagus nerve during fetal development and its relationship with the environment
Francesco Cerritelli, Martin G. Frasch, Marta C. Antonelli, Chiara, Viglione, Stefano Vecchi, Marco Chiera, Andrea Manzotti

TL;DR
This paper reviews the development of the fetal vagus nerve and autonomic nervous system, emphasizing critical windows and environmental factors affecting maturation, with implications for fetal monitoring and long-term health outcomes.
Contribution
It identifies key developmental periods and environmental influences on the vagus nerve, proposing guidelines for fetal monitoring and management to mitigate adverse effects.
Findings
Vagus nerve development occurs during specific critical windows.
Environmental factors like maternal health impact vagus maturation.
Fetal heart rate variability is a key indicator of ANS development.
Abstract
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulatory capacity begins before birth as the sympathetic and parasympathetic activity contributes significantly to the fetus' development. 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…
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Taxonomy
TopicsNeonatal and fetal brain pathology · Neuroscience of respiration and sleep · Infant Health and Development
