Key Challenges and Future Directions When Running Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) Research Protocols with Newborns: A Music and Language EEG Feasibility Study

Abstract

Although many musical intervention studies exist in the wider framework of neuroscience and psychology, the preliminary importance of feasibility studies is rarely discussed. Adding to this fact the limited research existing on the therapeutic and restorative potential of music exposure during early developmental periods, pushed us to concentrate on investigating newborns’ perception of music and its impact on the brain. Here, we explore the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) approach when measuring and comparing the neurophysiological perception of music versus language on the brainstem of newborns using auditory brainstem response (ABR). Twenty-five healthy full-term infants were recruited, eight of which were measured within their first 10 days postpartum. The evaluation of the study’s feasibility appealed to five main objectives that essentially answer the question: Can our protocol work? Each objective proposes questions based on Orsmond and Cohn’s guiding framework, designed to assess, and assist feasibility in understanding barriers toward a study’s success. Our results justify that newborns are well capable of undergoing the study and given meticulous considerations and improvements on the intervention resources. The procedure’s communication and technical obstacles are resoluble. Moreover, assimilation of external factors to adapt, such as the culture variation and the ABR protocol implementation are necessary. The study was well received in the selected region (Middle East), and the recording procedure showed potential outcomes for a comprehensive RCT.

Feasibility and acceptability of a cohort study baseline data collection of device-measured physical behaviors and cardiometabolic health in Saudi Arabia: expanding the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep consortium (ProPASS) in the Middle East

“…Thus, the recruitment rate in the current study seems acceptable for creating a future cohort using ProPASS methods in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, in the current study, the refusal rate was only 15% which is significantly lower than in previous studies [ 45 , 49 ] where refusal rates ranged from 50 to 66%. One reason for the low refusal rate in the current study is that the recruitment was material specifically designed to motivate Saudi participants to join the study by indicating that the study would provide data and insight into their current state of health.…”

Music and neuroscience research for mental health, cognition, and development: Ways forward

“…For instance, music has been implicated in contexts of emotional, social, cultural, and biological influence (Peretz, 2006 ; Koelsch, 2018 ; Savage, 2019 ; Savage et al, 2020 ). Developmental neuroscience has studied the processing and perception of music in the fetal and infant brain and its selective role in environmental enrichment and socioemotional development (Papatzikis and Papatziki, 2016 ; Chorna et al, 2019 ; Arrasmith, 2020 ; Papatzikis et al, 2021 ). Mental health research suggests the potential benefits of music in alleviating symptoms in a variety of neurological and affective disorders ranging from depression and schizophrenia to dementia (Van de Winckel et al, 2004 ; Talwar et al, 2006 ; Lin et al, 2011 ; Gustavson et al, 2021 ).…”