NICU-based stress response and preterm infant neurobehavior: exploring the critical windows for exposure.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Exposure to maternal stress in utero negatively impacts cognitive and behavioral outcomes of children born at term. The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can be stressful for preterm infants during a developmental period corresponding to the third trimester of gestation. It is unknown whether stress in the NICU contributes to adverse neurodevelopment among NICU graduates. The aim was to examine the association between salivary cortisol and early neurodevelopment in preterm infants.

Methods

We examined the association between cortisol levels during the NICU hospitalization and subsequent performance on the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scales (NNNS), estimating time-specific associations and considering sex differences.

Results

Eight hundred and forty saliv

SUBMITTER: Zhang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9378765 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature