The Effects of Vestibular Stimulation Rate and Magnitude of Acceleration on Central Pattern Generation for Chest Wall Kinematics in Preterm Infants

Objective—To examine the role of vestibular inputs on respiratory and oromotor systems in healthy preterm infants. Study Design—27 preterm infants were quasi-randomly assigned to either the VestibuGlide treatment or control groups. VestibuGlide infants were held in a developmentally supportive position, given a pacifier and received a series of vestibular stimuli, counterbalanced across rate and acceleration conditions, 15 minutes 3x/day for 10 days. The control infants were also held in a developmentally supportive position, given a pacifier for 15 minutes 3x/day for 10 days but did not receive the VestibuGlide stimulation. Result—A multi-level regression model revealed that treatment infants increased their respiratory rate in response to vestibular stimulus and that the highest level of vestibular acceleration delivered to the infants (0.51 m/s2) resulted in a significant increase in breaths per minute. Conclusion—Vestibular stimulation delivered to preterm infants prior to scheduled feeds effectively modulates respiratory rate and resets the respiratory central pattern generator