Recent research found evidence supporting music therapy for preterm infants to stabilize vital signs and possibly promote neurodevelopment. Even though preterm infants spend a considerable amount of time sleeping, the effectiveness of music therapy during sleep has not been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of music therapy on preterm infants’ vital signs with respect to the state of wakefulness. The first 20 consecutive infants born with <32 weeks’ gestational age (GA) from the intervention group of an ongoing randomized controlled trial received live music therapy twice a week until hospital discharge. The heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and state of wakefulness were recorded before and after therapy. We observed significantly lower heart and respiratory rates and higher oxygen saturation after live music therapy sessions in general (mean differences −4.9 beats per min; −7.0 breaths per min and +1.5%, respectively). When music therapy was applied during sleep, respiratory rates significantly lowered by 8.8 breaths per min and oxygen saturation increased by 1.6%, whereas in the awake state the vital parameters did not significantly change (heart rate −5.2 beats per min; respiratory rate +0.6 breaths per min and oxygen saturation +1.0%). Music therapy stabilized the respiratory rates and oxygen saturations in sleeping preterm infants.

Premature birth places considerable demands on preterm infants and their families. Most of these infants are treated on a neonatal intensive care unit immediately after birth, leading to psychosocial stress for parents and making it more difficult to build a stable parent-child bond. We hypothesized that accompaniment with live music therapy by a music therapist supports the parents to get in contact with their child and to promote the parents’ wellbeing. Preterm infants born at less than 32 gestational weeks received creative music therapy twice a week until discharge. At the time of discharge, the parents were asked to complete a Likert-style questionnaire to evaluate the music therapy. Six items related to socio-demographic characteristics, 4 items to observations on the infant and 10 items to personal perception. Of 40 preterm infants receiving music therapy, 32 (80%) parents completed the questionnaires. Thirty (94%) of these parents were able to relax during the music therapy session. Relaxation in their infants was observed by 29 (91%) during and by 28 (88%) after music therapy. Parents perceived music therapy as a positive change and enrichment during their infant’s hospital stay. All parents were thankful for the music therapy they received. Music therapy supports the parents of preterm infants in the first time after birth until discharge from the hospital.

Introduction: Preterm infants born before 28 weeks of gestation are at high risk of neurodevelopmental impairment in later life. Cerebral white and gray matter injury is associated with adverse outcomes. High oxygen levels, often unavoidable in neonatal intensive care, have been identified as one of the main contributing factors to preterm brain injury. Thus, preventive and therapeutic strategies against hyperoxia-induced brain injury are needed. Erythropoietin (Epo) is a promising and also neuroprotective candidate due to its clinical use in infants as erythropoiesis-stimulating agent. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of repetitive Epo treatment on the cerebral white matter and long-term motor-cognitive outcome in a neonatal rodent model of hyperoxia-induced brain injury. Methods: Three-day old Wistar rats were exposed to hyperoxia (48 h, 80% oxygen). Four doses of Epo (5,000 IU/kg body weight per day) were applied intraperitoneally from P3-P6 with the first dose at the onset of hyperoxia. Oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination were evaluated via immunohistochemistry and Western blot on P11. Motor-cognitive deficits were assessed in a battery of complex behavior tests (Open Field, Novel Object Recognition, Barnes maze) in adolescent and fully adult animals. Following behavior tests animals underwent post-mortem diffusion tensor imaging to investigate long-lasting microstructural alterations of the white matter. Results: Repetitive treatment with Epo significantly improved myelination deficits following neonatal hyperoxia at P11. Behavioral testing revealed attenuated hyperoxia-induced cognitive deficits in Epo-treated adolescent and adult rats. Conclusion: A multiple Epo dosage regimen protects the developing brain against hyperoxia-induced brain injury by improving myelination and long-term cognitive outcome. Though current clinical studies on short-term outcome of Epo-treated prematurely born children contradict our findings, long-term effects up to adulthood are still lacking. Our data support the essential need for long-term follow-up of preterm infants in current clinical trials.