"Massage may help boost brain growth - particularly visual development - in premature babies, says a study in this week's Journal of Neuroscience. Italian researchers tested 20 healthy infants born at 30 to 33 weeks (babies are considered full-term at 40 weeks of pregnancy). Beginning at 10 days old, half the babies received 60-minute massages twice a day for 10 days from an expert. The authors say this is the first time massage on premature newborns has been linked to brain development. The study also identifies a hormone that may be responsible for massage benefits on the visual system.' - Mary Brophy Marcus
USA Today
May 2010
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