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REVIEW article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Pediatric Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1374756
This article is part of the Research Topic Psychological Implications of Preterm Birth View all 6 articles

Six weeks that changed the preterm infant brain: Lessons learned from the Family Nurture Intervention (FNI) randomized controlled trials

Provisionally accepted
Martha G. Welch Martha G. Welch 1Robert J. Ludwig Robert J. Ludwig 1*Amie Hane Amie Hane 2Michael M. Myers Michael M. Myers 1
  • 1 Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States
  • 2 Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    We review extensive results from two randomized controlled trials conducted over 9 years, comparing standard care (SC) in level-4 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) with SC plus Family Nurture Intervention (FNI). Methods: FNI included ~six weeks of facilitated mother-infant interactions aimed at achieving mother-infant 'autonomic emotional connection', a novel construct that describes the emotional mother-baby relationship at the level of the autonomic nervous system. Results & Conclusion: Thus far, 18 peer-reviewed publications documented significant positive short-and long-term effects of FNI on infant neurobehavioral functioning, developmental trajectories and both mother and child autonomic health through five years. The observed profound effects of FNI on central and autonomic nervous system function following a relatively short intervention support a novel autonomic theory of emotions. We discuss the theoretical and clinical advances that grew out of the trials and speculate on how FNI changes the mother-infant relationship from autonomic emotional 'dysregulation' to 'co-regulation'. We review new constructs and tools that can be used to view and measure the mother-infant autonomic emotional relationship. We present a simple blueprint to improve preterm birth outcomes. Finally, we discuss the significance of our findings and possible impact on the future of preterm infant care worldwide.

    Keywords: Attachment, approach-avoidance, brainstem, autonomic theory of emotions, emotional connection, Instinct, Mother-Infant, signaling pathway

    Received: 22 Jan 2024; Accepted: 08 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Welch, Ludwig, Hane and Myers. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Robert J. Ludwig, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, New York, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.