The immediate effect of kangaroo mother care on Mother-infant inter-brain synchrony and infant brain function

Yu Liu; Jiayang Xu; Tianzi Wang; Zichen Shi; Xiang Chen; Yanting Kong; Lianli Chen; Sha Sha; Shanbao Tong; Chuhan Dong; Guanghai Wang; Xiaoli Guo; Fei Bei

arXiv · 2603.16501

The immediate effect of kangaroo mother care on Mother-infant inter-brain synchrony and infant brain function

Yu Liu·Jiayang Xu·Tianzi Wang·Zichen Shi·Xiang Chen·Yanting Kong·Lianli Chen·Sha Sha·Shanbao Tong·Chuhan Dong·Guanghai Wang·Xiaoli Guo·Fei Bei

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Abstract

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an intervention involving skin-to-skin contact that promotes physiological stability and supports long-term neurodevelopment in preterm infants. However, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the immediate effects of the first KMC on infants' brain function, mother-infant inter-brain synchrony, as well as their associations. Fifty-eight preterm infants (gestational age < 32 weeks or birth weight < 1500 g) and their mothers underwent synchronous dual-electroencephalography recording before and during the first KMC session. Infant brain function was assessed via power spectrum energy and graph theory-based network metrics, and mother-infant inter-brain synchrony was quantified using phase-locking value (PLV), from which inter-brain density and inter-brain strength were calculated. Correlation analyses were performed between infant intra-brain metrics and inter-brain synchrony indicators.During the first KMC, preterm infants showed enhanced theta, alpha, and beta power alongside reduced relative delta power, while brain network topological metrics remained stable. Concurrently, mother-infant inter-brain synchrony was significantly enhanced across all frequency bands, as evidenced by increased inter-brain density and strength (all p < .001). Furthermore, in the alpha band, inter-brain strength correlated positively with infant local efficiency and clustering coefficient, and in the beta band, it was positively correlated with infant small-worldness. The first KMC session can immediately enhance both preterm infant single-brain activity and mother-infant inter-brain synchrony. The strength of inter-brain synchrony is associated with the infant's intra-brain network organization, suggesting that KMC may promote intra-brain development in preterm infants via enhancing mother-infant inter-brain synchrony.

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Yu Liu, Jiayang Xu, Tianzi Wang, Zichen Shi, Xiang Chen, Yanting Kong, Lianli Chen, Sha Sha, Shanbao Tong, Chuhan Dong, Guanghai Wang, Xiaoli Guo, Fei Bei. 2026-03-17. The immediate effect of kangaroo mother care on Mother-infant inter-brain synchrony and infant brain function. https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.16501

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