Valley Health System Pediatric and Research Teams Publish Groundbreaking Study on Preterm Infant Brain Development
PARAMUS, NJ, August 14, 2025 – Valley Health System’s pediatric and research teams have published a study in Developmental Psychobiology that highlights a step forward in neonatal care.
The study, titled “Effectiveness Trial of Family Nurture Intervention as a Standard of Care in the NICU: Enhanced Brain Activity in Preterm Infants,” was conducted by Christiana Farkouh-Karoleski, MD, MPH, Associate Chair of Pediatrics and Associate Director of Neonatology for Valley Medical Group, and Department Director of Pediatrics for The Valley Hospital; Erica Lui, a nurture specialist for The Valley Hospital; Clare Finnegan, a research study coordinator for The Valley Hospital; and Suzanne Bryjak, RN, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse.
Led by Dr. Farkouh-Karoleski, the study demonstrates that implementing family nurture intervention (FNI) as a standard of care in the NICU significantly enhances early brain activity in preterm infants. The effectiveness trial, conducted at The Valley Hospital’s NICU, found that infants receiving family nurture care (FNC) – a unit-wide application of FNI – exhibited significantly greater electroencephalographic (EEG) power in the left frontal polar region of the brain at around 35 weeks postmenstrual age.
FNI is a science-based intervention, originated by co-author Martha Welch, MD, DFAPA, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, designed to foster emotional connection between mothers and preterm infants. Through calming sessions facilitated by specially trained nurture specialists or nurses, mothers engage in skin-to-skin contact, soothing vocalizations, and sustained eye contact with their babies. FNC is integrated into routine care from admission.
Notably, EEG differences favoring FNC infants emerged earlier than in previous trials, suggesting earlier exposure to emotional connection may accelerate brain development. Although effects diminished by term age, researchers believe this could be due to widespread improvements in developmental care practices benefiting all NICU infants.
“This study is an important next step in translating the robust effects of FNI seen in controlled trials into real-world NICU settings,” said Dr. Farkouh-Karoleski. “We’re showing that you can successfully implement this relational intervention across an entire unit and still achieve measurable neurodevelopmental benefits.”
For more information about Valley’s NICU team, please visit ValleyHealth.com/NICU.