Recorded music exposure and brain growth in preterm infants: a randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION

Premature infants are at risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Sensory interventions, such as recorded music, may mitigate these risks by supporting brain development. This study assessed the impact of a recorded music intervention on corpus callosum (CC) growth, a biomarker of neurodevelopment, in preterm infants.

METHODS

In a single-blind RCT in the neonatal intensive care unit, 76 preterm infants were randomly assigned to a music intervention (N = 42) or placebo group (N = 34). The intervention consisted of an 8-min daily exposure to Brahms' Lullaby, delivered for up to 15 sessions. The primary outcome was growth in CC length, measured via cranial ultrasound at multiple time points. A linear mixed model was employed to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Preterm infants receiving the music intervention showed a significantly steeper daily increase in CC length compared to placebo (p < 0.001). This effect persisted after adjusting for several covariates.

DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that brief, structured music exposure may promote early brain development in preterm infants. It underscores the potential of carefully designed auditory interventions as non-pharmacological support in neonatal intensive care. Future research should elucidate the mechanisms underlying these effects, optimize intervention protocols, and evaluate long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.

IMPACT: Brief, daily recorded music exposure suggests accelerated early brain growth, indexed by corpus callosum development, in preterm infants. This randomized controlled trial links a low-burden auditory intervention to a structural marker of neurodevelopment measured longitudinally with cranial ultrasound. The findings extend existing literature on sensory interventions by providing mechanistic, brain-based evidence rather than short-term behavioral outcomes alone. The intervention is feasible within routine neonatal intensive care and does not require specialized equipment or personnel. These results support further investigation of targeted auditory stimulation as a non-pharmacological strategy to support early brain development in preterm infants.