The Effect of Musical Stimulation and Mother’s Voice on the Early Development of Musical Abilities: A Neuropsychological Perspective

An infant’s early contact with music affects its future development in a broad sense, including the development of musical aptitude. Contact with the mother’s voice, both prenatally and after birth, is also extremely important for creating an emotional bond between the infant and the mother. This article discusses the role that auditory experience—both typically musical and that associated with the mother’s voice—plays in fetal, neonatal, and infant development, particularly in terms of musical aptitude. Attempts have also been made to elucidate the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying the positive effects that appropriate musical stimulation can have on a child’s development.

Mother care for procedural pain in infants

A major role of mothers is to protect their infant from harm, including pain. The aim of this chapter is to review the evidence on the effectiveness of maternal strategies that are efficacious in managing procedural pain. These strategies are naturally occurring and have been used for millenia by mothers, but only recently have been systematically studied. Breastfeeding, holding the baby on the bare chest, known as kangaroo mother care, are such strategies. Whilst providing care in this close manner, other components of the mother’s presence may play a role, such as her voice and her odor. Facsimiles of maternal presence such as a recording of mother’s voice and materials containing her odour have been examined as potential strategies to relieve pain in the infant. The question of the potency of pain relieving strategies provided by caregivers, other than the mother, has been addressed to some extent and will be included in this chapter. The mechanisms underlying the pain relieving effects of maternal care, as they are currently understood, will be presented. Finally, pragmatic issues in implementing maternal strategies for decreasing pain will be discussed

Central Auditory Processing

When one talks about hearing, some may first imagine the auricle (or external ear), which is the only visible part of the auditory system in humans and other mammals. Its shape and size vary among people, but it does not tell us much about a person’s abilities to hear (except perhaps their ability to localize sounds in space, where the shape of the auricle plays a certain role). Most of what is used for hearing is inside the head, particularly in the brain. The inner ear transforms mechanical vibrations into electrical signals; then the auditory nerve sends these signals into the brainstem, where intricate preprocessing occurs. Although auditory brainstem mechanisms are an important part of central auditory processing, it is the processing taking place in the cerebral cortex (with the thalamus as the mediator), which enables auditory perception and cognition. Human speech and the appreciation of music can hardly be imagined without a complex cortical network of specialized regions, each contributing different aspects of auditory cognitive abilities. During the evolution of these abilities in higher vertebrates, especially birds and mammals, the cortex played a crucial role, so a great deal of what is referred to as central auditory processing happens there. Whether it is the recognition of one’s mother’s voice, listening to Pavarotti singing or Yo-Yo Ma playing the cello, hearing or reading Shakespeare’s sonnets, it will evoke electrical vibrations in the auditory cortex, but it does not end there. Large parts of frontal and parietal cortex receive auditory signals originating in auditory cortex, forming processing streams for auditory object recognition and auditory-motor control, before being channeled into other parts of the brain for comprehension and enjoyment.

Mama! I hear your silence: Grief and COVID-19 on the Global North and South disparity

In this conversation with Mama, I use my mother’s voice as a reflexive mirror to explore the social work silences that the COVID-19 pandemic expresses so eloquently in my own life and work. I seek to highlight the intimate link between Mama’s silence and social work silence.

The effect of mother’s voice on pain and physiological parameters during arterial blood sampling in children hospitalized in PICUs

Introduction: Arterial blood sampling is a painful procedure, and is frequently performed in PICUs. Listening to mother's voice may be effective in reducing pain during arterial blood sampling in children. This study was aimed to determine the effect of mother’s recorded voice on pain and physiological parameters during arterial blood sampling in children hospitalized in PICUs. Methodology: This study was a single blind randomized clinical trial with crossover design. Fifty children hospitalized in PICUs participated in this study. The participants were selected through “sequential sampling” and randomly allocated into two groups; e.g., Group AB (n = 25) and Group BA (n = 25). Physiological parameters and pain in each child were measured before and during arterial blood sampling with (B) and without (A) listening to their mothers’ voices with a minimum of 24 hrs interval. To measure the pain, COMFORT pain scale was used and the physiological parameters were measured using the monitoring devices connected to the children. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 22, repeated measure test, paired and non-paired t-test, Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney test. Results: Means of pain scores and physiologic parameters did not show a significant difference before the intervention on the first and second day between the two groups (AB-BA). The results showed the period effect (f = 0.581 and p = 0.89) and carry over effect (f = 0.055, p-value = 0.881) were not significant. Results of paired t-test showed that the mean pain score during arterial blood sampling with (B: 21.82 ± 5.53) and without (A: 22.40 ± 4.76) listening to their mothers’ voices was significantly different (p = 0.002). That is, with the mother’s voice, the children felt a lower level of pain. The SpO2 decline during the sampling was less with the mother’s voice. Additionally, the heart rate declined less during the sampling compared to the rate before the sampling with the mother’s voice; still, the difference was not significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Listening to mothers’ recorded voice was effective to alleviate pain during arterial blood sampling in children hospitalized in PICUs. The use of this method to reduce pain during this painful procedure is effective even in the absence of the mother. Key words: Pain; Mother’s voice; Arterial blood sampling; Physiological indices; PICU Citation: Shoghi M, Ahmadi M, Rasouli M. The effect of mother’s voice on pain and physiological parameters during arterial blood sampling in children hospitalized in PICUs. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2021;25(1):40-47.DOI: 10.35975/apic.v25i1.1440 Received: 20 June 2020, Reviewed: 16 September 2020, Accepted: 25 November 2020

Postoperative emergence delirium in children: a narrative review of recent publications

Background: Emergence delirium is a challenge in pediatric anesthesiology, with important unanswered questions concerning incidence, causation, diagnosis, treatment, and sequelae. In this review, we will present the recent research with a particular focus placed on treatment and prevention options. Methods: A wide literature search was conducted across MEDLINE and other databases using PubMed, Embase, Ovid, and the Cochrane Library (latest access: 23 November 2020). The collected publications were assessed for relevance. Only randomized controlled trials and observational studies on postoperative emergence delirium in children were included. Exclusion criteria were articles published before 2018, and studies comprising children older than 12 years of age, mental retardation, or chronic diseases. Results: The final number of studies included in this review was 44. Risk factors identified for emergence delirium were volatile inhalation anesthetics, young age, child temperament, preoperative anxiety, male gender, and specific surgical procedures. Preventive and/or intervention measures were pharmacological (e.g. TIVA, α2-adrenergic agonists (particularly dexmedetomidine), ketamine, propofol, midazolam, opioids (fentanyl)) and non-pharmacological measures (e.g. video or tablet distraction, familiarization with the operating environment, use of mother’s voice, visual preconditioning in eye surgery). Conclusion: ED should be considered a “vital sign” and recorded and documented in all children in the PACU. There is an urgent need for future research to fill in missing gaps of knowledge regarding ED. Implementation of a standardized and validated screening tool for ED are high priorities as is the impact of perioperative monitoring of children at risk to prevent ED.

Effects of Mother's Voice Recording Toward Premature Infant Heart Rate Changes at the Rsud Dr. Moewardi

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) states that premature birth occurs before 37 weeks of complete pregnancy and is a leading cause of death of newborns. As for interventions that could be done to improve this, includes listening to the mother's voice and lullabies (lullaby). Mother's voice can affect respiration rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation, infant’s oral feeding skill, premature infant weight gain, brain maturation, and the infant’s physical response.Objective: The purpose of this research was to find the effect of mother's voice recordings on the state of the heart rate of premature babies in the HCU Neonatal Room of RSUD Dr. Moewardi. This study was completed in the neonatal HCU room of RSUD Dr. Moewardi.Method: The sampling technique used is consecutive sampling method, based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. This study uses a quasi-experimental design with a pre and post-test design without control group. The analysis test used was paired t-test since the normality test results showed p values of 0.05 (normal distribution).Result: The results of the Paired T-Test showed a p-value of 0,000 (p0.05) which means, there is significant difference in heart rate between before and after the application of the mother's voice recording.Conclusion: In conclusion Mother's voice recording influences changes in the heart rate of premature babies. The implications of the mother's voice recording can be used for the treatment of premature infants in the HCU Neonatal room and NICU.

The Self

This chapter analyzes research on the development of the self in relation to others and shows that the need for attachment and belonging is manifest before birth. In fact, studies have found that the fetus is sensitive to maternal stimulation. Through experience and memory, the fetus gets “familiar” with their mother’s voice. According to researchers, the findings lend support to the “epigenetic” model of the self, which presumes an interaction between fetal neural development and social experiences. In other words, pregnancy sets the stage for the mother–child attachment and emotional regulation that lie at the base of people’s social nature. Moreover, this neurobiological basis of attachment and the need to belong ensures people’s survival. While several psychologists contributed to the development of attachment theory and belongingness needs, and explored their implications and practical applications for psychotherapy and client interaction, perhaps the most significant figure in furthering this work was the American psychologist Abraham Maslow. Maslow theorized that the “need to belong” was one of five human needs in a hierarchy of inborn needs, along with physiological needs, safety, self-esteem, and self-actualization.