Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Early Vocal Contact and Preterm Infant Brain Development pp 183–201Cite as

Recorded Maternal Voice, Recorded Music, or Live Intervention: A Bioecological Perspective

Abstract

Introduction: The human infant develops in his or her expected bioecological niche based on experience-dependent regulation of physiology, motor control, and arousal, typically provided by close contact with the mother. Synchrony, intensity, tempo, and rhythm of a mother’s physical and vocal communication are embedded in what the infant experiences and lay the foundation for attachment relationships and optimal development. Infants who have significant medical issues or are early born experience a different developmental niche than would a typically developing infant. This chapter addresses the complexities of exposure of the newborn in intensive care to different models of intimate caregiving, including the mother’s recorded or live voice and recorded or live music, in the context of current knowledge of necessary species-specific, co-regulatory synchronous interactions. Additionally, the chapter explores opportunities and barriers to the provision of optimal mother-infant communication in intensive care.

Aims: The aims of this chapter are to describe foundational developmental science that contributes to our understanding of the components of optimal bioecological niches for developing infants in the NICU and to provide a rationale for promoting optimal intersensory, redundant, synchronous, and rhythmic experiences for the developing infant through the mother’s presence. Additionally, an aim of the chapter is to examine current intervention strategies that may or may not provide optimal bioecological niches for developing infants under intensive care.

Conclusions: Developmental science contributes to our emerging understanding of the optimal bioecological niche for the developing infant. Medically fragile and/or early born infants are thought to have over or underexposure to sensory experiences prompting the addition of live and/or recorded inputs such as the mother’s voice or music and other multisensory stimulation approaches. Research on such interventions has begun to explore their benefits and/or challenges, but findings are not consistently conclusive. From a developmental science and clinical research perspective, the likely most optimal niche for the developing infant is the mother’s body and voice. NICU practices that encourage mothers to be with and communicate with their baby need to be promoted.

Keywords

  • Bioecology
  • Recorded mother’s voice
  • Mother’s voice
  • Preterm infant
  • Socioemotional development
  • NICU environments

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

References

  • Allen, K. A. (2013). Music therapy in the NICU: Is there evidence to support integration for procedural support? Advances in Neonatal Care, 13(5), 349–352. doi:10.1097/ANC.0b013e3182a0278b

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Almadhoob, A., & Ohlsson, A. (2015). Sound reduction management in the neonatal intensive care unit for preterm or very low birth weight infants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1, CD010333. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010333.pub2

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Als, H. (1998). Developmental care in the newborn intensive care unit. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 10(2), 138–142.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Als, H., Butler, S., Kosta, S., & McAnulty, G. (2005). The Assessment of Preterm Infants’ Behavior (APIB): Furthering the understanding and measurement of neurodevelopmental competence in preterm and full-term infants. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 11(1), 94–102. doi:10.1002/mrdd.20053

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Als, H., Tronick, E., Lester, B. M., & Brazelton, T. B. (1977). The Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (BNBAS). Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 5(3), 215–231.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • American Academy of Pediatrics, C. o. E. H. (1976). Noise pollution: Neonatal aspects. Pediatrics, 54(4), 476–479.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnon, S., Diamant, C., Bauer, S., Regev, R., Sirota, G., & Litmanovitz, I. (2014). Maternal singing during kangaroo care led to autonomic stability in preterm infants and reduced maternal anxiety. Acta Paediatrica, 103(10), 1039–1044. doi:10.1111/apa.12744

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Azarmnejad, E., Sarhangi, F., Javadi, M., & Rejeh, N. (2015). The effect of mother’s voice on arterial blood sampling induced pain in neonates hospitalized in neonate intensive care unit. Global Journal of Health Science, 7(6), 198–204. doi:10.5539/gjhs.v7n6p198

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bahrick, L. E., & Lickliter, R. (2014). Learning to attend selectively: The dual role of intersensory redundancy. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(6), 414–420. doi:10.1177/0963721414549187

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bellieni, C. V., Cordelli, D. M., Marchi, S., Ceccarelli, S., Perrone, S., Maffei, M., and Buonocore, G. (2007, March/April). Sensorial saturation for neonatal analgesia, The Clinical Journal of Pain 23 3, 219-221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1954). The effect of separation from the mother in early life. Irish Journal of Medical Science, 339, 121–126.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1958). The nature of the child’s tie to his mother. The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 39(5), 350–373.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1968). Effects on behaviour of disruption of an affectional bond. Eugenics Society Symposia, 4, 94–108.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss: Retrospect and prospect. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 52(4), 664–678.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Braadbaart, L., de Grauw, H., Perrett, D. I., Waiter, G. D., & Williams, J. H. (2014). The shared neural basis of empathy and facial imitation accuracy. NeuroImage, 84, 367–375. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.08.061

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brazelton, T. B., Tronick, E., Adamson, L., Als, H., & Wise, S. (1975). Early mother-infant reciprocity. Ciba Foundation Symposium, 33, 137–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. U., & Ceci, S. J. (1994). Nature-nurture reconceptualized in developmental perspective: A bioecological model. Psychological Review, 101(4), 568–586.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Browne, J. V. (2004). Early relationship environments: Physiology of skin-to-skin contact for parents and their preterm infants. Clinics in Perinatology, 31(2), 287–298., vii. doi:10.1016/j.clp.2004.04.004

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bruck, C., Kreifelts, B., & Wildgruber, D. (2011). Emotional voices in context: A neurobiological model of multimodal affective information processing. Physics of Life Reviews, 8(4), 383–403. doi:10.1016/j.plrev.2011.10.002

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, S. C., O'Sullivan, L. P., Shah, B. L., & Berthier, N. E. (2014). Preference for infant-directed speech in preterm infants. Infant Behavior & Development, 37(4), 505–511. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.06.007

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Caskey, M., Stephens, B., Tucker, R., & Vohr, B. (2011). Importance of parent talk on the development of preterm infant vocalizations. Pediatrics, 128(5), 910–916. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-0609

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caskey, M., Stephens, B., Tucker, R., & Vohr, B. (2014). Adult talk in the NICU with preterm infants and developmental outcomes. Pediatrics, 133(3), e578–e584. doi:10.1542/peds.2013-0104

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Censullo, M., Lester, B., & Hoffman, J. (1985). Rhythmic patterning in mother-newborn interaction. Nursing Research, 34(6), 342–346.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cohn, J. F., & Tronick, E. (1989). Specificity of infants’ response to mothers’ affective behavior. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28(2), 242–248. doi:10.1097/00004583-198903000-00016

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dearn, T., & Shoemark, H. (2014). The effect of maternal presence on premature infant response to recorded music. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 43(3), 341–350. doi:10.1111/1552-6909.12303

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dorn, F., Wirth, L., Gorbey, S., Wege, M., Zemlin, M., Maier, R. F., & Lemmer, B. (2014). Influence of acoustic stimulation on the circadian and ultradian rhythm of premature infants. Chronobiology International, 31(9), 1062–1074. doi:10.3109/07420528.2014.948183

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • El-Dib, M., & Glass, P. (2015). Does exposure of premature infants to repetitive recorded mother sounds improve neurodevelopmental outcome? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(31), E4166. doi:10.1073/pnas.1507315112

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, R. (2015). The adaptive human parental brain: Implications for children's social development. Trends in Neurosciences, 38(6), 387–399. doi:10.1016/j.tins.2015.04.004

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, R. (2016). The neurobiology of mammalian parenting and the biosocial context of human caregiving. Hormones and Behavior, 77, 3–17. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.10.001

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, R., & Eidelman, A. I. (2007). Maternal postpartum behavior and the emergence of infant-mother and infant-father synchrony in preterm and full-term infants: The role of neonatal vagal tone. Developmental Psychobiology, 49(3), 290–302. doi:10.1002/dev.20220

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, R., Rosenthal, Z., & Eidelman, A. I. (2014). Maternal-preterm skin-to-skin contact enhances child physiologic organization and cognitive control across the first 10 years of life. Biological Psychiatry, 75(1), 56–64. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.08.012

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Filippa, M., Devouche, E., Arioni, C., Imberty, M., & Gratier, M. (2013). Live maternal speech and singing have beneficial effects on hospitalized preterm infants. Acta Paediatrica, 102(10), 1017–1020. doi:10.1111/apa.12356

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gitto, E., Pellegrino, S., Manfrida, M., Aversa, S., Trimarchi, G., Barberi, I., & Reiter, R. J. (2012). Stress response and procedural pain in the preterm newborn: The role of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. European Journal of Pediatrics, 171(6), 927–933. doi:10.1007/s00431-011-1655-7

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez-Liencres, C., Shamay-Tsoory, S. G., & Brune, M. (2013). Towards a neuroscience of empathy: Ontogeny, phylogeny, brain mechanisms, context and psychopathology. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 37(8), 1537–1548. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.05.001

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gottfried, A. W., & Gaiter, J. L. (1985). Infant stress under intensive care. Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray, L., & Philbin, M. K. (2000). Measuring sound in hospital nurseries. Journal of Perinatology, 20(8 Pt 2), S100–S104.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greenough, W. T., Black, J. E., & Wallace, C. S. (1987). Experience and brain development. Child Development, 58, 539–559.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hofer, M. (1994). Hidden regulators in attachment separation and loss. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 59(2/3), 192–207.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jobe, A. H. (2014). A risk of sensory deprivation in the neonatal intensive care unit. The Journal of Pediatrics, 164(6), 1265–1267. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.01.072

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karger, R. H. (1979). Synchrony in mother-infant interactions. Child Development, 50(3), 882–885.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, C. (2010). Exposure to maternal voice in preterm infants: A review. Advances in Neonatal Care, 10(1), 13–18.; quiz 19–20. doi:10.1097/ANC.0b013e3181cc3c69

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, P., Zores, C., Langlet, C., Escande, B., Astruc, D., & Dufour, A. (2013). Moderate acoustic changes can disrupt the sleep of very preterm infants in their incubators. Acta Paediatrica, 102(10), 949–954. doi:10.1111/apa.12330

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lantz, B., & Ottosson, C. (2013). Parental interaction with infants treated with medical technology. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 27(3), 597–607. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6712.2012.01061.x

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lasky, R. E., & Williams, A. L. (2009). Noise and light exposures for extremely low birth weight newborns during their stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. Pediatrics, 123(2), 540–546. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-3418

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leclere, C., Viaux, S., Avril, M., Achard, C., Chetouani, M., Missonnier, S., & Cohen, D. (2014). Why synchrony matters during mother-child interactions: A systematic review. PLoS One, 9(12), e113571. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0113571

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lester, B. M., Andreozzi-Fontaine, L., Tronick, E., & Bigsby, R. (2014). Assessment and evaluation of the high risk neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 90. doi:10.3791/3368

  • Lester, B. M., Hawes, K., Abar, B., Sullivan, M., Miller, R., Bigsby, R., … Padbury, J. F. (2014). Single-family room care and neurobehavioral and medical outcomes in preterm infants. Pediatrics, 134(4), 754–760. doi:10.1542/peds.2013-4252

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lester, B. M., Hoffman, J., & Brazelton, T. B. (1985). The rhythmic structure of mother-infant interaction in term and preterm infants. Child Development, 56(1), 15–27.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lester, B. M., Miller, R. J., Hawes, K., Salisbury, A., Bigsby, R., Sullivan, M. C., & Padbury, J. F. (2011). Infant neurobehavioral development. Seminars in Perinatology, 35(1), 8–19. doi:10.1053/j.semperi.2010.10.003

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lickliter, R. (2011). The integrated development of sensory organization. Clinics in Perinatology, 38(4), 591–603. doi:10.1016/j.clp.2011.08.007

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Linn, P. L., Horowitz, F. D., Buddin, B. J., Leake, J., & Fox, H. A. (1985). An ecological description of a neonatal intensive care unit. In Infant stress under intensive care (pp. 83–112). Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loewy, R., Fisher, M., Schlosser, D. A., Biagianti, B., Stuart, B., Mathalon, D. H., & Vinogradov, S. (2016). Intensive auditory cognitive training improves verbal memory in adolescents and young adults at clinical high risk for psychosis. Schizophrenia Bulletin. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbw009

  • Long, J. G., Lucey, J. F., & Phillips, A. C. (1980). Noise and hypoxemia in the neonatal intensive care unit. Pediatrics, 65(1), 143–145.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moon, C. (2011). The role of early auditory development in attachment and communication. Clinics in Perinatology, 38(4), 657–669. doi:10.1016/j.clp.2011.08.009

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morelius, E., He, H. G., & Shorey, S. (2016). Salivary cortisol reactivity in preterm infants in neonatal intensive care: An integrative review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(3). doi:10.3390/ijerph13030337

  • Morris, B. H., Philbin, M. K., & Bose, C. (2000). Physiological effects of sound on the newborn. Journal of Perinatology, 20(8 Pt 2), S55–S60.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ortenstrand, A., Westrup, B., Brostrom, E. B., Sarman, I., Akerstrom, S., Brune, T., … Waldenstrom, U. (2010). The Stockholm Neonatal Family Centered Care Study: Effects on length of stay and infant morbidity. Pediatrics, 125(2), e278–e285. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-1511

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Philbin, M. K., & Gray, L. (2002). Changing levels of quiet in an intensive care nursery. Journal of Perinatology, 22(6), 455–460. doi:10.1038/sj.jp.7210756

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Philbin, M. K., Lickliter, R., & Graven, S. N. (2000). Sensory experience and the developing organism: A history of ideas and view to the future. Journal of Perinatology, 20(8 Pt 2), S2–S5.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Picciolini, O., Porro, M., Meazza, A., Gianni, M. L., Rivoli, C., Lucco, G., … Mosca, F. (2014). Early exposure to maternal voice: Effects on preterm infants development. Early Human Development, 90(6), 287–292. doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2014.03.003

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pineda, R. G., Neil, J., Dierker, D., Smyser, C. D., Wallendorf, M., Kidokoro, H., … Inder, T. (2014). Alterations in brain structure and neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants hospitalized in different neonatal intensive care unit environments. The Journal of Pediatrics, 164(1), 52–60. e52. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.08.047

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pineda, R. G., Stransky, K. E., Rogers, C., Duncan, M. H., Smith, G. C., Neil, J., & Inder, T. (2012). The single-patient room in the NICU: Maternal and family effects. Journal of Perinatology, 32(7), 545–551. doi:10.1038/jp.2011.144

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rand, K., & Lahav, A. (2014). Impact of the NICU environment on language deprivation in preterm infants. Acta Paediatrica, 103(3), 243–248. doi:10.1111/apa.12481

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosa, E. M., & Tudge, J. (2013). Urie Bronfenbrenner’s theory of human development: Its evolution from ecology to bioecology. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 5(4), 243–258. doi:10.1111/jftr.12022

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Shoemark, H., Hanson-Abromeit, D., & Stewart, L. (2015). Constructing optimal experience for the hospitalized newborn through neuro-based music therapy. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, 487. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00487

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, E. A., Murray, L., Paukner, A., & Ferrari, P. F. (2014). The mirror neuron system as revealed through neonatal imitation: Presence from birth, predictive power and evidence of plasticity. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 369(1644), 20130289. doi:10.1098/rstb.2013.0289

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Super, C. M., & Harkness, S. (1994). The developmental niche: A theoretical framework for analyzing the household production of health. Social Science & Medicine, 38(2), 217–226. doi:10.1016/0277-9536(94)90391-3

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Tronick, E. Z. (1989). Emotions and emotional communication in infants. The American Psychologist, 44(2), 112–119.

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Manen, M. A. (2015). The ethics of an ordinary medical technology. Qualitative Health Research, 25(7), 996–1004. doi:10.1177/1049732314554101

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Webb, A. R., Heller, H. T., Benson, C. B., & Lahav, A. (2015). Mother’s voice and heartbeat sounds elicit auditory plasticity in the human brain before full gestation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(10), 3152–3157. doi:10.1073/pnas.1414924112

    CrossRef  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Welch, M. G., Hofer, M. A., Brunelli, S. A., Stark, R. I., Andrews, H. F., Austin, J., … Family Nurture Intervention Trial, G. (2012). Family nurture intervention (FNI): Methods and treatment protocol of a randomized controlled trial in the NICU. BMC Pediatrics, 12, 14. doi:10.1186/1471-2431-12-14

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Welch, M. G., Myers, M. M., Grieve, P. G., Isler, J. R., Fifer, W. P., Sahni, R., … Group, F. N. I. T, Group, F. N. I. T. (2014). Electroencephalographic activity of preterm infants is increased by Family Nurture Intervention: A randomized controlled trial in the NICU. Clinical Neurophysiology, 125(4), 675–684. doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2013.08.021

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Westrup, B. (2015). Family-centered developmentally supportive care: The Swedish example. Archives de Pédiatrie, 22(10), 1086–1091. doi:10.1016/j.arcped.2015.07.005

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • White, R. D. (2003). Individual rooms in the NICU – An evolving concept. Journal of Perinatology, 23(Suppl 1), S22–S24. doi:10.1038/sj.jp.7210840

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • White, R. D., Smith, J. A., Shepley, M. M., & Committee to Establish Recommended Standards for Newborn, I. C. U. D. (2013). Recommended standards for newborn ICU design, eighth edition. Journal of Perinatology, 33(Suppl 1), S2–16. doi:10.1038/jp.2013.10

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • White-Traut, R., Norr, K. F., Fabiyi, C., Rankin, K. M., Li, Z., & Liu, L. (2013). Mother-infant interaction improves with a developmental intervention for mother-preterm infant dyads. Infant Behavior & Development, 36(4), 694–706. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2013.07.004

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Center for Family & Infant Interaction, Aurora, CO, USA

    Joy V. Browne PhD

Authors
  1. Joy V. Browne PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joy V. Browne PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Independent Researcher, Aosta, Italy

    Manuela Filippa

  2. Médecine et Réanimation du Nouveau-né Hôpital de Hautepierre, CHU, Strasbourg, France

    Pierre Kuhn

  3. Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    Björn Westrup

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Browne, J.V. (2017). Recorded Maternal Voice, Recorded Music, or Live Intervention: A Bioecological Perspective. In: Filippa, M., Kuhn, P., Westrup, B. (eds) Early Vocal Contact and Preterm Infant Brain Development . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65077-7_11

Download citation

search

Navigation