# An Animal Model of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Exposure to Light and Sound

> **NIH NIH R21** · RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES · 2024 · $235,500

## Abstract

SUMMARY:
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 15 million children are born prematurely each year.
Many of these infants end up spending days to weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Infants who are
born prematurely are often exposed to noise and light levels that affect auditory and visual development.
Subsequently, these children can have long-term impairments in cognition, visuospatial processing, hearing, and
language. We have developed a rodent model of NICU exposure to light and sound using the Mongolian gerbil
(Meriones unguiculatus), which has a low frequency human-like audiogram and is altricial. To simulate preterm
infancy the eyes and ears will be opened prematurely, followed by exposure to the NICU-like sensory
environment throughout the gerbil’s cortical critical period of auditory development. Here, natural eye-opening
closes the critical period ~ P18, and early eye opening simulates the effect of preterm birth, by closing the critical
period precociously (Mowery et al., 2016). This motivated the core hypothesis that early eye opening induces
precocious closure of auditory development through feed forward peripheral visual excitatory input onto cross
modal synapses located in auditory cortex. Recent research has provided preliminary validation for the effect of
early light and noise exposure on long-term brain development (Gay et al., 2023). We will test this hypothesis
with three aims. The first aim will track electrophysiological development of inhibition within the auditory cortex
after NICU (early eye/ear opening) or noise only (early ear opening) exposed neonates, juveniles, and adults.
The second aim will track the development of physiological peripheral measures for auditory (auditory brainstem
response) and visual (visual evoked potentials) function in NICU (early eye/ear opening) or noise only (early ear
opening) exposed neonates as they develop into juveniles and then adults. Histological measurements of the
white and grey matter along the visual and auditory neuraxes will be generated and correlated with any
impairments to peripheral physiology thresholds of each animal in AIM 2. The third aim will behaviorally test
measures of auditory and visual based decision-making impairments in NICU (early eye/ear opening) or noise
only (early ear opening) exposed animals after they have become adults. Together, the findings from this project
will introduce a new animal model of the NICU preterm infant, with which mitigative and treatment-based
approaches to early light and sound exposure can be ethically carried out by the research community. We hope
to establish this animal model to create a bridge between clinical pediatric physician researchers and the animal
research community to advance clinical treatments and care for the NICU-exposed preterm infant.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10864443
- **Project number:** 1R21HD114995-01
- **Recipient organization:** RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Todd M. Mowery
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $235,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-10 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10864443

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10864443, An Animal Model of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Exposure to Light and Sound (1R21HD114995-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10864443. Licensed CC0.

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