A new study published in Neurology suggests that early skin-to-skin contact may support neurodevelopment in preterm infants born before 32 weeks of gestation. The findings indicate that “kangaroo care”, placing an infant directly on a caregiver’s bare chest, is associated with increased structural development in brain regions related to emotional and stress regulation.
The Study at a Glance
Researchers analyzed data from 88 very preterm infants (born before 32 weeks of gestation) who received routine MRI scans before hospital discharge. The study was conducted at a single neonatal intensive care unit and used existing medical records and brain imaging data.
What they looked at:
- Skin-to-skin care exposure – both how long each session lasted and how much time per day babies spent in skin-to-skin contact.
- Brain structure – measured using diffusion MRI, which can show the organization of white matter tracts (the brain’s wiring).
The team focused on three key white matter pathways linked to stress regulation and socioemotional development:
- The cingulum
- The anterior thalamic radiations (ATRs)
- The uncinate fasciculus
Key Findings
The study found meaningful associations between skin-to-skin care and white matter microstructure in certain brain regions:
- Longer skin-to-skin sessions were linked with changes in the cingulum and anterior thalamic radiations (ATRs), areas crucial for emotional processing and stress regulation.
- Both the duration per session and daily exposure rate were related to specific diffusion MRI measures, suggesting that babies who experienced more skin-to-skin time had distinct patterns of white matter development.
- No significant changes were seen in the uncinate fasciculus, another frontolimbic tract.
Importantly, these findings remained significant even after accounting for medical factors, socioeconomic status, and how often families visited.
What Does It Mean?
While the study doesn’t prove that skin-to-skin contact causes changes in brain structure, it does suggest that early caregiving experiences may influence how the brain’s wiring develops, even in the fragile early weeks of life for preterm infants.
The brain regions affected are involved in emotion, bonding, and stress response, aligning with the known behavioural benefits of kangaroo care.
Limitations and Next Steps
This was a retrospective, single-center study, more research, especially larger, multi-site, and longitudinal studies, will be needed to confirm these findings and understand how they relate to long-term developmental outcomes.
Conclusion
The findings support the integration of family-centred care models that facilitate greater parental involvement during NICU hospitalisation. SurePulse recognises the importance of Kangaroo Mother Care for increasing breast feeding rates, including for those born preterm or low birthweight; Our vision is a world where baby-centred innovation transforms neonatal outcomes.
Wireless monitoring of the baby is believed likely to increase rates of KMC by making it easy for staff to facilitate KMC, and to improve the quality and duration of KMC delivered in terms of comfort, to reduce the need to disturb the baby to adjust sensors, and which subsequently will improve bonding of parent and baby (Bonner et al, 2017). This enhanced bonding of parent and baby will help breast milk production.
The SurePulse VS is SurePulse’s first device approved in the US, UK and EU for clinical use, and comprises a thermo-protective single-use cap that provides clinical teams with wireless, continuous and accurate heart rate information. SurePulse is also developing wireless, multi-parameter monitoring solutions, designed to increase KMC and therefore support breastfeeding.
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