NeuroN-QI: An Intervention to Promote Preterm Infants' Neurodevelopment

April 17, 2024 updated by: Marilyn Aita, St. Justine's Hospital

Effects of a Parent-preterm Proximity and Calm Intervention (NeuroN-QI) on the Neurodevelopment of Preterm Infants: A Randomized Pragmatic Clinical Trial

NeuroN-QI aims to evaluate the effects of an intervention consisting of periods of: 1) parents/preterm infants skin-to-skin contact and auditory stimulation by the parents's voice and 2) calm without manipulation with olfactory stimulation with breast milk in the incubator/bed both combined with appropriate light and noise levels to promote neurodevelopment preterm infants.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
124

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Quebec
      • Montréal, Quebec, Canada, H3T 1C5
      • Montréal, Quebec, Canada, H4A 3J1

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria for preterm infants:

  • born between 24 and 33 6/7 weeks GA;
  • ready for SSC

Inclusion criteria for mothers and fathers:

  • agree to do at least one SSC session/week combined with 10 min of auditory stimulation until 36 weeks of GA of their preterm infant;
  • mothers express breast milk for their preterm infants

For twin births (twin pregnancies), fathers will also be invited to participate in the study, so that both infants can participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria for preterm infants:

  • congenital anomalies or genetic disorders
  • intraventricular hemorrhage > grade II
  • are small for GA defined as birth weight <10th percentile
  • on postnatal day 19 (maximum days targeted for study start)
  • are still receiving analgesics, sedatives, paralyzing agents
  • are under mechanical ventilation

Exclusion criteria mothers and fathers:

  • are aged <18 years;
  • have a physical condition that does not allow the SSC
  • abuse illicit substances or alcohol that could influence stress, anxiety and parent- child interactions
  • feed their preterm infant exclusively with commercial infant formula
  • mothers had a breast surgery that could influence their breast milk production
  • do not speak, read or write in French or in English

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: NeuroN-QI
Randomized dyads in the experimental group will be asked to do at least one session weekly (ideally 3) skin-to-skin contact (SSC) lasting 2 hours until the age of 36 weeks. Auditory sensory stimulation by mothers or fathers (reading a book) will be carried out during the first 10 minutes during the SSC sessions. The SSC will be followed by a period of calm and rest of one hour during which the infants will rest in their incubator with breast milk's olfactory stimulation. Light and sound control will be done during the entire intervention.
Behavioral: NeuroN-QI
Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) lasting 2 hours with an auditory sensory stimulation followed by a period of calm and rest of one hour during which the infants will rest in their incubator with breast milk's olfactory stimulation. Light and sound control will be done during the entire intervention.
Active Comparator: SSC alone
Randomized dyads in the control group will be asked to do at least one session weekly (ideally 3) skin-to-skin contact (SPC) lasting 2 hours until the corrected age of 36 weeks. During these sessions, light and noise levels will not be controlled or accompanied of auditory stimulation. SSC periods will not be followed by a calm and rest period with a olfactory stimulation.
Behavioral: SSC alone
Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) lasting 2 hours

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neurodevelopment
Time Frame: 36 weeks gestational age (GA)
Recording with video and coding with Assessment of Behavioral Systems Organization (ABSO) (from Assessment of Preterm Infant Behavior (APIB))
36 weeks gestational age (GA)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neurodevelopment
Time Frame: 4 months and 18 months
Cerebral discontinuity activity vs. activity with EEG
4 months and 18 months
Neurodevelopment
Time Frame: 4 months and 18 months
Bayley-IIII (Questionnaire)
4 months and 18 months
Parental Stress
Time Frame: Baseline before randomization and every week after until 36 weeks GA
Questionnaire - Parental Stress Scale - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (PSS:NICU) - 25 items with a 5-point Likert-type. Minimum value: 25, maximum value: 100. A higher score indicates higher parental stress.
Baseline before randomization and every week after until 36 weeks GA
Parental Anxiety
Time Frame: Baseline before randomization and every week after until 36 weeks GA
Questionnaire - State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) - 20 items with a 4-point Likert-type scale. Minimum value: 20; maximum value: 80. A higher score indicates higher anxiety.
Baseline before randomization and every week after until 36 weeks GA
Parental sensitivity
Time Frame: 4 months ans 18 months
Recording through videos and coding with Welch Emotional Connection Screen (WECS) - 4 dimensions: mutual attraction, facial communication, vocal communication and sensitivity/reciprocity are coded on a 9-point scale from 1 to 3. Minimum value 4; maximum value 12. Higher scores indicate a better mother-child emotional connection.
4 months ans 18 months
Milk production
Time Frame: Every day in mL until study completion at infants' 36 weeks gestational age.
Through diary
Every day in mL until study completion at infants' 36 weeks gestational age.
Milk consumption
Time Frame: Total in mL until study completion at infants' 36 weeks gestational age.
Through charting
Total in mL until study completion at infants' 36 weeks gestational age.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
St. Justine's Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 23, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 13, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 11, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 18, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 19, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 17, 2024

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • MP-21-2023-5375

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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