Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 15, 2026
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Cardiorespiratory mechanisms triggered during music perception in preterm infants and adults
Laura Lavezzo1,2, Francisca Barcos-Munoz3, Damien Benis4
1Division of Development and Growth, Child and Adolescent Department, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Insights
Music listening affects preterm infants and adults differently. Preterm infants showed increased respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), suggesting calm alertness, while adults exhibited decreased RSA, indicating heightened alertness.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal physiology
- Auditory neuroscience
- Autonomic nervous system function
Background:
- The autonomic nervous system's response to dynamic auditory stimuli, like music, is not well understood in preterm newborns.
- Understanding these responses is crucial for assessing preterm infants' physiological readiness for environmental interaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cardiac and respiratory autonomic responses of preterm infants and adults to music listening.
- To compare cardiorespiratory coupling and heart rate dynamics between preterm infants and adults during music exposure.
Main Methods:
- Assessed 18 preterm infants and 19 adults during music listening.
- Analyzed heart rate dynamics, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and cardiorespiratory coupling using power spectral density analysis.
- Examined the interpolated interbeat interval series for frequency domain cardiovascular responses.
Main Results:
- Both groups exhibited decreased high-frequency power during music, indicating similar frequency domain cardiovascular responses.
- Preterm infants showed a significant increase in RSA (p = 0.005), suggesting calm alertness.
- Adults displayed decreased RSA (p = 0.003) and an increased low-frequency/high-frequency power ratio, suggesting heightened alertness.
Conclusions:
- While basic cardiovascular responses to music are similar, RSA and cardiorespiratory coupling reveal distinct autonomic dynamics in preterm infants compared to adults.
- Preterm infants' increased RSA may indicate a state of physiological preparedness for interaction.
- Music listening elicits differential autonomic responses, highlighting the unique balance of autonomic regulation in preterm newborns.
Abstract:
Preterm newborns' autonomic response to dynamic auditory stimuli is poorly understood. To examine how cardiac and respiratory systems adjust their rhythms in response to music, we assessed 18 preterm infants (gestational age 37.73 ± 0.80 weeks) and 19 adults across music listening. Heart rate dynamics, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and cardiorespiratory coupling were analyzed. Studying the power spectral density of the interpolated interbeat interval series, both groups showed decreased high-frequency power during music listening. In preterm infants, RSA increased (p = 0.005), possibly suggesting a state of calm alertness, where the infant is physiologically prepared for interaction with environmental stimuli, while adults had decreased RSA (p = 0.003) and concomitant increased values of the low-frequency/high-frequency power ratio, possibly reflecting heightened alertness. While frequency domain cardiovascular responses to music were similar between preterms and adults, only the investigation of RSA and cardiorespiratory coupling measures revealed the delicate balance of autonomic dynamics in preterm newborns.
More Related Videos
11:50Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
05:28Electrophysiology on Isolated Brainstem-spinal Cord Preparations from Newborn Rodents Allows Neural Respiratory Network Output Recording
Published on: November 19, 2015
Related Concept Videos
01:17Other Factors Affecting Respiration Centers
However, the ability to hold one's breath voluntarily is not limitless. When the CO2 concentration in the blood reaches a critical...
01:18Neural Control of Respiration
Respiratory Centers in the Brainstem
Two primary areas comprise the respiratory center: the medullary respiratory center in the medulla oblongata and the pontine respiratory group in the pons. The...
01:22Physiology of Respiration II: Neurogenic Control of Respiration
Central Control
The brainstem is the primary site of central control, hosting respiratory centers:
01:30Mechanism of Breathing I: Inspiration
The respiratory system, an essential network for breathing, comprises the conducting and respiratory zones, each playing a crucial role in the overall process of respiration. Let us explore the detailed mechanism of inspiration, or inhalation, which is the first phase of the respiratory cycle.
Pathway of Air during Inspiration
During inspiration, air enters our body through the nose or mouth and moves through the conducting zone,...
01:23Mechanism of Breathing II: Expiration
Expiration, or exhaling, is a complex physiological process that begins as the inspiratory muscles begin to relax. This relaxation triggers a series of events that epitomize the efficiency of the respiratory system.
Mechanism of Expiration:
01:23Physiological Control of Respiration
Breathing, a seemingly passive process, is regulated by the respiratory center in the brainstem. This center coordinates the involuntary control of respirations, which means it occurs without conscious effort, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted pattern.
Regulation of Ventilation
The body maintains ventilation by monitoring levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2), and hydrogen ion concentration (pH) in the arterial blood. Among these factors, the level of CO2 plays a crucial...