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Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
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Nurturing the preterm infant brain: leveraging neuroplasticity to improve neurobehavioral outcomes

Dana DeMaster1, Johanna Bick2, Ursula Johnson3

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Learning Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA. Dana.M.Demaster@uth.tmc.edu.

Pediatric Research
|December 12, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Preterm birth disrupts brain development, but the brain

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Preterm birth can lead to disruptions in neurological development.
  • Brain plasticity, the susceptibility to environmental influence, plays a complex role in preterm infants.
  • Existing research often focuses on clinical outcomes rather than neuroprotective factors for preterm infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the dual role of plasticity as both a vulnerability and a potential mechanism for recovery in preterm brains.
  • To integrate findings from neuroimaging, intervention, and clinical studies on preterm brain plasticity.
  • To highlight the role of responsive caregiving in normalizing neurological development for preterm infants.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review synthesizing research from neuroscience, intervention science, and clinical studies.
  • Analysis of mechanisms underlying adaptive and maladaptive plasticity in response to environmental experiences.
  • Integration of neuroimaging findings to support the role of inherent plasticity in improving outcomes.

Main Results:

  • High plasticity in the preterm brain can increase vulnerability to injury from events like inflammation and hypoxia.
  • Plasticity also offers a pathway for positive experiences to normalize neurological development in preterm children.
  • Responsive caregiving is identified as a key factor enabling parents to positively influence brain development.

Conclusions:

  • Brain plasticity in preterm infants presents both risks and opportunities for neurological development.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing effective interventions.
  • Responsive caregiving is a vital neuroprotective strategy for normalizing preterm infant brain development.

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