Infant Crying, a Bioacoustic Prognostic Signal for Neurodevelopment

Recruiting now

Conditions studied: Newborn; Vitality, Premature Infants, Infant Development

In brief

Crying is a vital communication signal for the baby. Product of a complex physiological process, it reflects not only the organization and functioning of the cortical central nervous system and the function of sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic regulation but also the integrity of three entities: the lungs responsible for ventilatory mechanics and respiratory rhythm, the larynx and its vocal cords as a phonatory organ, and the oropharyngeal tract guaranteeing the resonance of the sound emitted by the vocal cords. Crying is usually caused by pain, discomfort, hunger, or separation from parents or other caregivers. Crying carries essential information from birth, the expression of which depends closely on the neuroanatomical and functional brain integrity of the child. On a bioacoustic level, crying consists of sequences of complex acoustic signals produced by the vocal folds and filtered by the vocal tract. The vibration frequency of the vocal cords determines the cry's fundamental frequency f0 (and the harmonic frequencies), which is responsible for its more or less low or high pitch. Other acoustic cues also characterize each baby's cry.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT06332521

Run by

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne

People needed

1100

Starts

2024-03-20

Expected to finish

2028-03-01

Last updated by the study team

2025-05-28

Who can join

Age: any, up to 0. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• For a full-term baby > 37 weeks
• For a premature baby < 37 weeks
• Born in the maternity ward of the Saint-Etienne University Hospital
• Holder of parental authority having received informed information about the study and their right to object
• Holder of parental authority affiliated to or beneficiary of a social security system
• Eutrophic between the 10th and 90th percentile on the neonatal curves)

You may not qualify if…

• Refusal of participation by the holder of parental authority
• Antenatal pathology, nor perinatal asphyxia
• Holder of minor parental authority
• Holder of parental authority under curatorship or guardianship
• Abnormal T1 audiological screening test.

Where it is running

• Chu de Saint-Etienne — Saint-Etienne, France (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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