Mentor
Dr. Scott Robinson
Participation year
2004
Project title

Development of Eye Movement in Fetal Sheep

Abstract

It has been reported that during the third trimester of gestation, one of the most prominent features of fetal behavior is the organization of behavioral states. After birth, rapid eye movements (REM) are one of the defining characteristics of active sleep. Because very little is known about how REM develops before birth, the objective of this study is to describe eye activity in the fetal sheep during the third trimester. Data was obtained from existing archives of recordings from fetal sheep and was analyzed using the time-series decomposition technique. Preliminary results showed that there were significant differences in eye activity across the 24-hour period. Future directions of this study include the analysis of developmental changes across days.

Valerie  Mendez-Gallardo
Education
University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras