[Effect of antenatal hypoxia on the nature of the cry of newborn rats]. / Vliianie antenatal'noi gipoksii na kharakter krika novorozhdennykh krys.

Spectrography was used to examine spontaneous and pain (induced by pricking the foot with a needle) cries of newborn Wistar rats of the first three days of life. Three groups of animals were employed: non-operated control rats, those which suffered hypoxia on days 17-21 of gestation (clamping of the umbilical cord), and control rats born to operated females. The cries were recorded on Kometa or Vesna tape recorders and analyzed with the use of a Sona Graph, type 7029A. Antenatal hypoxia was found to produce an increase in the minimum and maximum pitches of fundamental frequency and to a decrease in the duration of the cry. It is likely that the changes in the cry are related to the impairment of the thalamic and hypothalamic nuclei and external respiration distress because of hypoxia.