PreMusic

Infants born prematurely spend a part of the period corresponding to the third trimester of gestation in the NICU, where they are deprived of normal maternal/environmental sounds. This may result in disturbances to auditory temporal processing and in turn the development of general cognitive capacities. In this longitudinal study we will evaluate the impact of musically oriented interventions in preterm infants in the NICU, on auditory rhythm processing in the course of early development. First we will compare the maturation of neural responses to rhythmic auditory stimuli from 28 wGA, to 40 wGA in premature infants receiving the intervention and premature infants not receiving the intervention. The longitudinal study will continue until 18 months to compare their neural response to auditory rhythm, behavioral rhythmic capacities, and cognitive development. We will conduct a neuroimaging approach using high-resolution electroencephalography. Starting from 6 months of age, developmental scales and behavioral tasks targeting rhythmic capacities will join our neuroimaging approach, to address also the cognitive/neuro-development, behavioral manifestations of possible deficits in rhythm processing, and both rhythmic perception and production capacities of the infants. There is no study yet addressing the impact of musical intervention in the NICU on the neural response to auditory rhythm and none addressing this impact during the first years of life. This innovative project will pave the ground to establish an NICU intervention program aiming to improve cognitive capacities and therefore the mental health in premature infants. The scientific expertise of our consortium in (1) neurodevelopment and rhythm perception, (2) auditory processing and music perception, (3) the theory of music and composition, (4) highly technical skills in the analysis of neural signals, and (5) technical/clinical labs, create a unique opportunity to address the questions of this project.