Parent-led massage and sleep EEG for term-born infants: A randomized controlled parallel-group study.

AIM: To examine the impact of parent-led massage on the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) features of typically developing term-born infants at 4 months. METHOD: Infants recruited at birth were randomized to intervention (routine parent-led massage) and control groups. Infants had a daytime sleep EEG at 4 months and were assessed using the Griffiths Scales of Child Development, Third Edition at 4 and 18 months. Comparative analysis between groups and subgroup analysis between regularly massaged and never-massaged infants were performed. Groups were compared for sleep stage, sleep spindles, quantitative EEG (primary analysis), and Griffiths using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: In total, 179 out of 182 infants (intervention: 83 out of 84; control: 96 out of 98) had a normal sleep EEG. Median (interquartile range) sleep duration was 49.8 minutes (39.1-71.4) (n = 156). A complete first sleep cycle was seen in 67 out of 83 (81%) and 72 out of 96 (75%) in the intervention and control groups respectively. Groups did not differ in sleep stage durations, latencies to sleep and to rapid eye movement sleep. Sleep spindle spectral power was greater in the intervention group in main and subgroup analyses. The intervention group showed greater EEG magnitudes, and lower interhemispherical coherence on subgroup analyses. Griffiths assessments at 4 months (n = 179) and 18 months (n = 173) showed no group differences in the main and subgroup analyses. INTERPRETATION: Routine massage is associated with distinct functional brain changes at 4 months. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Routine massage of infants is associated with differences in sleep electroencephalogram biomarkers at 4 months. Massaged infants had higher sleep spindle spectral power, greater sleep EEG magnitudes, and lower interhemispherical coherence. No differences between groups were observed in total nap duration or first cycle macrostructure.

Validation of Raised Cord Blood Interleukin-16 in Perinatal Asphyxia and Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy in the BiHiVE2 Cohort.

The role of inflammation is an important factor in the progression of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). We have previously shown that interleukin-16 (IL-16) is increased in infants with moderate and severe HIE and relates to poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. We aimed to validate IL-16 as a cord blood-based biomarker for HIE and to examine its relationship to long-term outcomes. The study sample consisted of 105 full-term infants who experienced perinatal asphyxia (PA) (with and without an encephalopathy) along with healthy, gestational age-matched newborn controls. Umbilical cord blood serum was processed and biobanked at delivery. Infants were assigned a modified Sarnat score at 24 h. Analysis of IL-16 cytokine cord blood levels was performed using the sandwich-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Cord blood-based IL-16 was increased in infants with PA and HIE relative to controls (p = 0.025). IL-16 was also increased in the HIE group relative to controls (p = 0.042). There was no significant difference in IL-16 across grades of HIE or in those with abnormal outcomes at 2 years of age. This study validates findings that cord blood-based IL-16 levels are increased in infants with PA, including those who go on to develop HIE.