The origins of embodiment : behavioral and cardiovascular responses to music in very preterm newborns

Article Article scientifique Article The origins of embodiment : behavioral and cardiovascular responses to music in very preterm newborns eng 2026-04-03 author Baradel Giorgia Department of brain and behavioural sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy. 420813 author Lavezzo Laura 0009-0008-7460-7119 Bioengineering and Robotics Research Centre E. Piaggio, Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56122, Italy.,Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 404220 Département de Pédiatrie, Gynécologie et Obstétrique (PETRI) author Menin Damiano Department of Human Studies, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. author Alves Sa De Almeida Joana Rita Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Division of Development and growth, Dept of Women, child and adolescent medecine, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 863867 author Scilingo Enzo Pasquale Bioengineering and Robotics Research Centre E. Piaggio, Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56122, Italy. author Nardelli Mimma Bioengineering and Robotics Research Centre E. Piaggio, Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56122, Italy. author Hüppi Petra Susan Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Division of Development and growth, Dept of Women, child and adolescent medecine, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 133591 Département de Pédiatrie, Gynécologie et Obstétrique (PETRI) author Dondi Marco Department of Human Studies, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. author Barcos Munoz Francisca Mariana 0000-0001-7143-6117 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 871644 Département de Pédiatrie, Gynécologie et Obstétrique (PETRI) Francisca Barcos Munoz author Filippa Manuela 0000-0002-1310-8008 Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. manuela.filippa@unige.ch.,Division of Development and growth, Dept of Women, child and adolescent medecine, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. manuela.filippa@unige.ch.,Swiss Center of Affective Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. manuela.filippa@unige.ch. 890536 Section de psychologie (PSICO) 10.1038/s41598-026-46395-z 41933000 2045-2322 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-46395-z Music perception in newborns is predominantly investigated through brain- based data, while the role of physiological and bodily responses remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by assessing behavioral and physiological responses to music in clinically stable preterm newborns. Twenty- three very preterm newborns (born before 32 weeks of gestation) were recruited and allocated to either a Music group (n = 12) or a Control group (n = 11). Only infants in the Music group were exposed to a 6-minute musical excerpt composed specifically for the study by Andreas Vollenweider. Combining precise cardiovascular measures with a fine-grained behavioral coding system - the System for Coding Perinatal Behavior (SCPB), we examined the embodied dimensions of musical perception at the beginning of extrauterine life. During the test phase, infants in the Music group showed reduced distress and fewer eye blinks compared to the pre phase, whereas no comparable changes were observed in the Control group. Hand movement rates were overall lower in the Music group during the pre and test phases, although group differences were no longer present in the post phase. Cardiorespiratory coupling was higher in the Music group during the pre and test phases but did not differ between groups in the post phase. Importantly, parasympathetic indices (HF power and RMSSD) increased specifically in the Music group during the post phase, while remaining stable across phases in the Control group. Overall, the results suggest immediate behavioral modulation during exposure and a subsequent increase in parasympathetic activity following music listening. These findings provide new insights into the organization of perception in preterm newborns and underscore the importance of integrating bodily and autonomic responses into the study of early music perception. Adopting such an embodied perspective may advance our understanding of how music contributes to early perceptual development in fragile neonatal populations. Behavioral coding Embodied perception Music perception Parasympathetic activity Preterm newborns Dewey 150 Dewey 618 Swiss National Science Foundation Building the path to resilience in preterm infants: a neuroimaging investigation of the impact of multisensory and neurocognitive interventions 163084 CH Swiss National Science Foundation Development of Emotion and Cognition in Preterm Born Cohorts: Neurostructural and Neurofunctional Correlates from Birth to Early Adolescence 135817 CH Swiss National Science Foundation Family alliance as a moderator factor between maternal depressive state in the postpartum period and child outcomes: a developmental study of family processes 125493 CH 108 Section de psychologie 71 58 Département de pédiatrie, gynécologie et obstétrique 223 false 594 Neuroscience de l'émotion et dynamiques affectives (NEAD) 150 L'imagerie cérébrale 184 1241 Affective sciences Scientific reports 6ac9720c-b0e6-4284-acfe-a1b7e21c4d0f Article (Published version) Public Article_scientifique_from_unpaywall.pdf 1156353 application/pdf CC BY-NC-ND-4.0 c93d19c363176965fdeceb3415a348ee4958268a8b9af58d6b444bb3b8794fc3 5ffe8f12-162c-4102-a0c1-291a422e7b0a Supplemental data Public 41598_2026_46395_MOESM1_ESM.pdf 704697 application/pdf ab320679afb5200d2de1c1407cf91c0b2145b5000bff5d3c938f70dceb2210ea openAccess Faculté de psychologie et des sciences de l'éducation / Section de psychologie Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département de pédiatrie, gynécologie et obstétrique

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The origins of embodiment : behavioral and cardiovascular responses to music in very preterm newborns	Scientific reports			2026	15	85

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Baradel, Giorgia