Amir Lahav|Erika Skoe
An acoustic gap between the NICU and womb: a potential risk for compromised neuroplasticity of the auditory system in preterm infants
Brigham and Women's Hospital|MaineGeneral Medical Center|Harvard University|Massachusetts General Hospital|University of Connecticut
intrauterine environment allows fetus begin hearing low frequency sounds protected fashion ensuring optimal development peripheral central auditory system however auditory nursery provided womb vanishes preterm newborn enters highfrequency hf noisy environment neonatal intensive care unit nicu present article draws concerning line auditory system development hf noise nicu necessarily conducive fostering development overexposure hf noise critical periods disrupts functional organization auditory cortical circuits result theorize ability tune noise extract acoustic information noisy environment may impaired leading variety auditory language attention disorders additionally hf noise nicu often masks human speech sounds potentially important preterm infant whose exposure linguistic stimuli already restricted understanding impact sound environment developing auditory system important first step meeting developmental demands preterm newborns undergoing intensive care