MedPath

Infant Crying, a Bioacoustic Prognostic Signal for Neurodevelopment

Recruiting
Conditions
Newborn; Vitality
Infant Development
Premature Infants
Interventions
Other: Acoustic signal analysis method
Registration Number
NCT06332521
Lead Sponsor
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne
Brief Summary

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.

Detailed Description

The objective of the Baby's cry 1000/100 study is to evaluate the acoustic characteristics of crying at birth, of term and premature babies and to correlate them with neurodevelopmental outcomes at 2 years of age to see if the bioacoustic characteristics of crying at birth could be predictive of the baby's neurofunctional integrity.

To achieve this objective, the investigators wish to document a large bank of recordings of the crying of term or premature babies by relying on deep learning and artificial intelligence approaches, making it possible to process large databases quickly, evaluate the links between acoustics of crying and clinical data at the birth of full-term babies who will benefit from systematic neurodevelopmental monitoring at 2 years (Bayley scale).

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
1100
Inclusion Criteria
  • 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)
Exclusion Criteria
  • 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.

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
birth of term babiesAcoustic signal analysis methodStudy of crying in a group of newborns (birth of term babies)
Premature babiesAcoustic signal analysis methodStudy of crying in a group of newborns (Premature babies )
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Bailey-4 quantitative scaleAt 2 years

neurodevelopment at age 2 measured by the Bailey-4 quantitative scale. The final score is from 40 (Very weak neurodevelopment) to 160 (Very good neurodevelopment)

Fundamental frequency f0 (Hz)At inclusion

Fundamental frequency f0 (Hz) defined from a crying sequence, the most characteristic elementary index of their individual bioacoustic signature.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Median pitch f0 (Hz)At inclusion

Other bioacoustic characteristics measurable in each bioacoustic sequence

Q25 (Percentage)At inclusion

Other bioacoustic characteristics measurable in each bioacoustic sequence : rapid amplitude fluctuations occurring at frequencies between 30 and 150 Hz

Median Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP) (dB)At inclusion

The CPP makes it possible to quantify the "quality" of the voice and the acoustic signal and its degree of harmonicity as opposed to the severity of the dysphonia

Percentage voiced framesAt inclusion

Other bioacoustic characteristics measurable in each bioacoustic sequence

Jitter (Percentage),At inclusion

Other bioacoustic characteristics measurable in each bioacoustic sequence

Harmonicity (dB)At inclusion

Other bioacoustic characteristics measurable in each bioacoustic sequence

Harmonics of f0 (Hz)At inclusion

Other bioacoustic characteristics measurable in each bioacoustic sequence : vibration frequency of the vocal cords, defining a +/- low or high tone

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Chu de Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷

Saint-Étienne, France

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath