Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May;112(5):942-950.
doi: 10.1111/apa.16695. Epub 2023 Feb 10.

Cortical activation and oxygen perfusion in preterm newborns during kangaroo mother care: A pilot study

Stefano Bembich  1 , Elena Castelpietra  1 , Gabriele Cont  1 , Laura Travan  1 , Julia Cavasin  1 , Matteo Dolliani  1 , Rosaria Traino  1 , Sergio Demarini  1
Affiliations

Cortical activation and oxygen perfusion in preterm newborns during kangaroo mother care: A pilot study

Stefano Bembich et al. Acta Paediatr. 2023 May.

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to assess the functional activation of preterm newborns' cerebral cortex during kangaroo mother care. Possible effects of gestational age and previous kangaroo mother care experience were also considered.

Methods: Fifteen preterm newborns were recruited (gestational age: 24-32 weeks). Cortical activation was assessed in frontal, motor and primary somatosensory cortices after 15 and 30 min of kangaroo mother care by multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy (gestational age at assessment: 30-36 weeks). Both oxy- and deoxy-haemoglobin variations were analysed by t-test. Possible effects of gestational age and previous kangaroo mother care experience on cortical activation were studied by regression analysis.

Results: After 15 min, bilateral activations (oxy-haemoglobin increase) were observed in frontal, somatosensory and motor cortices. After 30 min, the right motor and primary somatosensory cortices were found activated. Deoxy-haemoglobin increased after 15 min, returning to baseline at 30 min. After 15 min, there was a positive effect of gestational age at the assessment on both haemoglobin concentrations and a negative effect of previous kangaroo mother care on deoxy-haemoglobin increase.

Conclusion: Motor and somatosensory cortices, particularly on the right side, showed significant activation during kangaroo mother care. Kangaroo mother care seems to benefit activated cortical areas by improving oxygen supply.

Keywords: kangaroo mother care; near-infrared spectroscopy; very preterm newborns.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Charpak N, Ruiz-Peláez JG, Figueroa de CZ, Charpak Y. A randomized, controlled trial of kangaroo mother care: results of follow-up at 1 year of corrected age. Pediatrics. 2001;108(5):1072-1079.
    1. Ruiz-Peláez JG, Charpak N, Cuervo LG. Kangaroo mother care, an example to follow from developing countries. BMJ. 2004;329(7475):1179-1181.
    1. Charpak N, Tessier R, Ruiz JG, et al. Twenty-year follow-up of kangaroo mother care versus traditional care. Pediatrics. 2017;139(1):e2016206.
    1. Feldman R, Weller A, Sirota L, Eidelman AI. Skin-to-skin contact (kangaroo care) promotes self-regulation in premature infants: sleep-wake cyclicity, arousal modulation, and sustained exploration. Dev Psychol. 2002;38(2):194-207.
    1. Feldman R, Eidelman AI. Skin-to-skin contact (kangaroo care) accelerates autonomic and neurobehavioural maturation in preterm infants. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2003;45(4):274-281.

LinkOut - more resources