Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 20, 2026
Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
OC09 - Early maternal contact has an impact on preterm infants' brain systems that manage stress
Evalotte Mörelius1, Annika Örtenstrand2, Elvar Theodorsson3
1Linköping University Department of social and welfare studies, Sweden.
Unlabelled:
Theme: Parenting/parenthood.
Introduction:
Early maternal contact can protect the infants' brain from harmful effects of stress while deprivation increases the stress level and leads to increased sensitivity to stress.
Aim:
To evaluate the effects of continuous skin-to-skin contact (SSC) after preterm birth on stress.
Methods:
Late preterm infants from two neonatal care units were randomized to either SSC or standard care. Salivary cortisol was measured in response to a nappy change at one month, and again at four months in response to a still-face procedure.
Results:
Infants randomized to SSC had a significantly lower salivary cortisol reactivity at one month and there was a correlation between the mothers' and the preterm infants' salivary cortisol levels at four months.
Conclusions:
The results show that close parental contact and human touch have a buffering effect on the infant's stress reactivity and stimulate a more rapid development of regularity.
More Related Videos
04:20Author Spotlight: Exploring Microglial Interactions with Stress-Response Circuitry Using the Limited Bedding and Nesting Model
Published on: July 12, 2024
07:36Modeling Encephalopathy of Prematurity Using Prenatal Hypoxia-ischemia with Intra-amniotic Lipopolysaccharide in Rats
Published on: November 20, 2015
Related Concept Videos
01:22Gut-Brain Axis
01:30Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
01:24Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...