The impact of sound stimulations during pregnancy on fetal learning: a systematic review

BMC Pediatrics

Research

Morteza Ghojazadeh¹  Leila Nikniaz²  Kobra Movalled³  Anis Sani³ 

[1]Professor of Physiology, Iranian Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

[2]Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, Health Management and Safety Promotion Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

[3]Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

关键词: Sound stimulation;    Pregnancy;    Fetal learning;    Neonatal behavior;    Fetal memory;    Neural development;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12887-023-03990-7

 received in 2022-09-11, accepted in 2023-04-04,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe developing nervous system in utero is exposed to various stimuli with effects that may be carried forward to the neonatal period. This study aims to investigate the effects of sound stimulation (music and speech) on fetal memory and learning, which was assessed later in neonatal period.MethodsThe MEDLINE (pubmed), Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched. Two reviewers selected the studies and extracted the data independently. The quality of eligible studies was assessed using The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs).ResultsOverall 3930 articles were retrieved and eight studies met the inclusion criteria. All of the included studies had good general quality; however, high risk of selection and detection bias was detected in most of them. Fetal learning was examined through neonatal electrocardiography (ECG), electroencephalography (EEG), habituation tests, and behavioral responses. Seven studies showed that the infants had learned the fetal sound stimulus and one study indicated that the prenatally stimulated infants performed significantly better on a neonatal behavior test. There was considerable diversity among studies in terms of sound stimulation type, characteristics (intensity and frequency), and duration, as well as outcome assessment methods.ConclusionsPrenatal sound stimulation including music and speech can form stimulus-specific memory traces during fetal period and effect neonatal neural system. Further studies with precisely designed methodologies that follow safety recommendations, are needed.Graphical Abstract

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

Fig. 4