Learn about the use of modern technology in monitoring infant brain waves for signs of distress
Infant brain waves being monitored for signs of distress at a neonatal intensive care unit.
University College Cork, Ireland (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
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News •
Brain-computer interface enables unresponsive ICU patients to control sounds
• Oct. 23, 2026, 1:16 AM ET (News-Medical)
Transcript
Hello and welcome. This is the Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research in Cork, Ireland. And this is where some of the tiniest babies on Earth begin their life journey.
And here is one of these babies spending time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In fact, this baby and other babies in our unit are actually communicating with the doctors and telling them that they are not feeling well.
Yes, you might wonder how such a tiny baby can communicate so soon after birth. New ways of monitoring babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is the answer. Technology like this for babies allows us to listen to neurons in the brain communicating like never before.
Sometimes when babies are unwell, the sounds that we hear from the brain have different characteristics, which allows doctors to detect events, like small fits or seizures. This indicates that the baby is in difficulty and doctors need to attend. Modern technology like this is helping doctors treat babies born too soon, too small, and too sick.
And here is one of these babies spending time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In fact, this baby and other babies in our unit are actually communicating with the doctors and telling them that they are not feeling well.
Yes, you might wonder how such a tiny baby can communicate so soon after birth. New ways of monitoring babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is the answer. Technology like this for babies allows us to listen to neurons in the brain communicating like never before.
Sometimes when babies are unwell, the sounds that we hear from the brain have different characteristics, which allows doctors to detect events, like small fits or seizures. This indicates that the baby is in difficulty and doctors need to attend. Modern technology like this is helping doctors treat babies born too soon, too small, and too sick.
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