ArticleChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2022
Maternal Singing but Not Speech Enhances Vagal Activity in Preterm Infants during Hospitalization: Preliminary Results.
Article in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- Maternal singing sustains preterm hospitalized newborns' autonomic nervous system maturation: an RCT.Pediatric research · 2024Trial
- The origins of embodiment: behavioral and cardiovascular responses to music in very preterm newborns.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Cardiorespiratory mechanisms triggered during music perception in preterm infants and adults.iScience · 2025Article
- Maternal singing and speech have beneficial effects on preterm infant's general movements at term equivalent age and at 3 months: an RCT.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Maternal Humming during Kangaroo Care: Effects on Preterm Dyads' Physiological Parameters.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Early parental vocal contact in neonatal units: rationale and clinical guidelines for implementation.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Review
- Oxytocin Levels Increase and Anxiety Decreases in Mothers Who Sing and Talk to Their Premature Infants during a Painful Procedure.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 8 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEarly parental interventions in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) have beneficial effects on preterm infants' short and long-term outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Early Vocal Contact (EVC)-singing and speaking-on preterm infants' vagal activity and autonomic nervous system (ANS) maturation.
methodsIn this multi-center randomized clinical trial, twenty-four stable preterm infants, born at 25-32 weeks gestational age, were randomized to either the EVC group or control group, where mothers did not interact with the babies but observed their behavior. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) was acquired before intervention (pre-condition), during vocal contact, and after it (post condition).
resultsNo significant effect of the vocal contact, singing and speaking, was found in HRV when the intervention group was compared to the control group. However, a significant difference between the singing and the pre and post conditions, respectively, preceding and following the singing intervention, was found in the Low and High Frequency power nu, and in the low/high frequency features (
conclusionsMaternal singing, but not speaking, enhances preterm infants' vagal activity in the short-term, thus improving the ANS stability. Future analyses will investigate the effect of enhanced vagal activity on short and long-term developmental outcomes of preterm infants in the NICU.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.