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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 May;111(5):1004-1014.
doi: 10.1111/apa.16265. Epub 2022 Feb 1.

Kangaroo mother care had a protective effect on the volume of brain structures in young adults born preterm

Nathalie Charpak  1 , Rejean Tessier  2 , Juan Gabriel Ruiz  3 , Felipe Uriza  4 , José Tiberio Hernandez  5 , Darwin Cortes  6 , Adriana Montealegre-Pomar  1   4
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Kangaroo mother care had a protective effect on the volume of brain structures in young adults born preterm

Nathalie Charpak et al. Acta Paediatr. 2022 May.

Abstract

Aim: The protective effects of Kangaroo mother care (KMC) on the neurodevelopment of preterm infants are well established, but we do not know whether the benefits persist beyond infancy. Our aim was to determine whether providing KMC in infancy affected brain volumes in young adulthood.

Method: Standardised cognitive, memory and motor skills tests were used to determine the brain volumes of 20-year-old adults who had formed part of a randomised controlled trial of KMC versus incubator care. Multivariate analysis of brain volumes was conducted according to KMC exposure.

Results: The study comprised 178 adults born preterm: 97 had received KMC and 81 were incubator care controls. Bivariate analysis showed larger volumes of total grey matter, basal nuclei and cerebellum in those who had received KMC, and the white matter was better organised. This means that the volumes of the main brain structures associated with intelligence, attention, memory and coordination were larger in the KMC group. Multivariate lineal regression analysis demonstrated the direct relationship between brain volumes and duration of KMC, after controlling for potential confounders.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the neuroprotective effects of KMC for preterm infants persisted beyond childhood and improved their lifetime functionality and quality of life.

Keywords: Kangaroo mother care; grey matter; magnetic resonance imaging; premature infants; white matter.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Trial flow chart
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Subcortical grey matter and WASI or CVLT(KMC)
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Total cerebellar volume and NHPT
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
FA and NHPT
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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