Mom's voice may boost preemie brain growth
NCT ID NCT04193579
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether playing recordings of a mother's voice to preterm babies in the NICU helps their brain and language development. Researchers enrolled 57 preterm infants born between 24 and 31 weeks. The goal was to see if this simple, non-invasive intervention could improve long-term outcomes.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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57 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2019
- Finished
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Apr 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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24 to 31 weeks
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Infants born preterm at Stanford Children's Hospital between 24 0/7 - 31 6/7 weeks gestational age Exclusion Criteria: * Congenital anomalies * Recognizable malformation syndromes * Active seizure disorders * History of Central Nervous System infections * Hydrocephalus * Major sensori-neural hearing loss * Likelihood to be transferred from NICU to alternate care facility or home environment prior to 36 weeks PMA and/or brain MRI scan * Intraventricular Hemorrhage Grades III-IV * Cystic periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) * Surgical treatment for necrotizing enterocolitis * Small for gestational age (SGA) \<3 percentile and/or Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) no head sparing * Twin-to-twin transfusions
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Stanford University - Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a Preemie's NICU breathing pattern predict asthma and sleep problems years later?
- Why do some preterm babies fail to grow? researchers track clues in the NICU
- Could a Mother's own milk, given as nose drops, shield premature Babies' brains?