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Effect of music-based interventions on physiologic stability of hospitalized preterm infants. A pilot study

Journal of Perinatology (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background and objective

Hospitalized preterm infants experience reduced meaningful auditory exposures during a critical period of brain development. Music-based interventions (MBI) may be beneficial, though it remains unclear which stimuli optimally enhance infant stabilization. We investigated the relationship between three conceptually-different MBIs and short-term responses in hospitalized preterm infants.

Study design

This is a case-crossover pilot study including 21 preterm infants between 30 and 35 weeks postmenstrual age. Participants listened to three MBIs and ‘no music’; each condition was provided three times in random order. We monitored physiologic and behavioral parameters around each exposure and analyzed results using linear mixed models.

Results

Respiratory rates decreased after each MBI compared with ‘no music’ (p = 0.02). The most notable decrease occurred following exposure to a low, repetitive musical pattern resembling a lullaby (p = 0.01). We noted no significant changes for the remaining parameters.

Conclusion

Specific MBI characteristics may preferentially enhance physiologic stabilization in hospitalized preterm infants.

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Fig. 1: Timeline of recording of physiologic and behavioral measuresa.
Fig. 2: Comparison of respiratory rate responses during versus before exposure to each conditiona.
Fig. 3

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Data availability

The MATLAB program scripts as analyzed, along with deidentified data supporting our findings can be provided by the authors upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank first and foremost our patients and their families, along with the Brigham Infant Brain Studies (BIBS) research laboratory colleagues for making this work possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, USA

    Carmina Erdei, Gabriel Cote Corriveau, Madison Forde, Mohamed El-Dib & Terrie Inder

  2. Harvard Medical School, Pediatrics, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, USA

    Carmina Erdei, John Sunwoo, Mohamed El-Dib & Terrie Inder

  3. Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th St, Charlestown, MA, USA

    John Sunwoo

  4. Division of Neonatology, Children’s Hospital of Orange County and University of California Irvine, 1001, Health Sciences Rd, Irvine, CA, USA

    Terrie Inder

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  1. Carmina Erdei
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Contributions

Authors’ contributions: CE and TI conceptualized the study design, intervention, and outcomes. CE contributed to leading and overseeing data collection, analyses, drafted the initial manuscript, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. JS performed data analyses, and contributed to writing and reviewing the manuscript. GCC contributed to data analyses, writing of the initial draft, and reviewing the manuscript. MF facilitated data collection, and contributed to drafting the manuscript. MED and TEI critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carmina Erdei.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study was approved by the Mass General Brigham Institutional Review Board and all families of enrolled infants signed informed consent.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Erdei, C., Sunwoo, J., Corriveau, G.C. et al. Effect of music-based interventions on physiologic stability of hospitalized preterm infants. A pilot study. J Perinatol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-024-01907-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-024-01907-5

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