ArticleActa paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)2026
The Emergence of Self-Awareness in Preterm Infants: Insights From the Rooting Reflex.
Article in Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
The trial behind it
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimTouch is the first sense to develop during fetal life. Sensory exploration in preterm infants may underlie early sensory self-awareness. This study aimed to demonstrate the emergence of sensory self-awareness in preterm infants by analysing behavioural responses of the rooting reflex.
methodsThis single-centre, prospective study included preterm infants born between 24 and 37 weeks gestational age (wGA). The rooting reflex was assessed via video in two conditions: external stimulation and facilitated self-stimulation. The rooting reflex was characterised by four progressively complex behavioural responses. The primary outcome was the relative frequency of these behaviours, compared between the two stimulation types.
resultsTwenty-seven children were included (mean gestational age: 30.5 wGA; mean birth weight: 1416 g). Behaviour 3 (mouth opening and/or tongue protrusion without head movement) was significantly more frequent during self-stimulation than external stimulation (35.7% vs. 24.9%, p = 0.005). No significant differences were observed for other behaviours.
conclusionThe rooting reflex response in preterm infants depends on stimulation type, with a preference for self-stimulation. This suggests an early ability to distinguish self from non-self, supporting the idea that the rooting reflex reflects implicit sensory self-awareness. These findings offer novel insights into preterm infant sensory processing and developmental care.
trial registrationFavourable opinion from the committee for the protection of individuals CPP N2023-A02220-45. Favourable opinion of Clinical Trial: NCT NI38RC23.0354.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.