Bach Music in Preterm Infants: No "Mozart Effect" on Resting Energy Expenditure

Bach Music in Preterm Infants: No "Mozart Effect" on Resting Energy Expenditure

Exposure to Mozart music significantly lowers resting energy expenditure (REE) in healthy preterm infants. Whether this finding is related to music per-se or to music by Mozart is unknown. The objective is to study whether J.S. Bach music has a lowering effect on REE similar to that of Mozart music.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Preterm infants at post menstrual age of 30-37 weeks who were appropriate for gestational age, clinically and thermally stable, gavage-fed, were eligible for recruitment.
• At the time of the study they were all tolerating full enteral feeding (150-160 cc/kg weight/day) without significant gastric residuals (<5% of total feed), they were all growing steadily, and had no electrolyte imbalance.
• All infants who were recruited successfully passed a hearing screening test prior to discharge (otoacoustic emission and automated auditory brainstem response)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Infants with significant complications of prematurity such as intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leucomalacia, necrotizing enterocolitis, active apneas of prematurity, patent ductus arteriosus, active infection, electrolyte imbalance and major congenital anomalies.