流程圖呈現一項研究方案的設想：提取嬰兒哭聲的聲學特徵，與腦影像（MRI）指標對照分析。動畫以約 3 秒的靜音循環重現“哭聲—分析—對照”的路徑。團隊已發表嬰兒哭聲自動分割方法學論文，以及一篇以嬰兒哭聲爲主題的敘述性綜述。
圖背後的故事
嬰兒哭聲包含豐富的神經生理、病理及心理信息，但哭聲與腦結構之間的關係仍不清楚。研究納入 154 名早產兒與 84 名足月兒，在相似刺激條件下錄製 1 分鐘哭聲，使用 MATLAB 分析聲音數據。統計時將同一嬰兒的重複哭聲觀測取平均，每名嬰兒對每項聲學參數貢獻一個數值。43 名早產兒接受磁共振成像，以測量灰質、白質和腦脊液體積。早產兒的哭聲週期與吸氣時長較足月兒更長（P 分別爲 0.022、0.014）；早產兒不同胎齡組的哭聲參數無顯著差異（均 P>0.05）。在接受 MRI 的 43 名早產兒中，不同胎齡組的灰質、白質體積及其與腦脊液的比值存在顯著差異。哭聲參數與腦體積的相關性總體較弱。多元線性迴歸顯示，哭聲參數與白質體積相關（R²=0.38，P=0.039），與灰質或腦脊液體積無顯著關聯。本研究發現不同胎齡嬰兒的哭聲特徵與 MRI 腦體積指標之間存在關聯；雖然哭聲特徵可能反映某些腦發育信息，但關聯總體較弱，應視爲探索性結果。
論文摘要（中文譯文 · 原文）
中文譯文 婴儿啼哭传递丰富信息，涉及神经生理、病理与心理等多个方面。然而，啼哭与脑结构之间的关系仍知之甚少。本研究纳入154名早产儿与84名足月儿，在相近刺激条件下各录制1分钟哭声；使用 MATLAB 软件分析哭声数据，统计上对同一婴儿的多次哭声水平观测取平均值，每名婴儿的每个哭声声学参数贡献一个数值。对43名早产儿行磁共振成像（MRI），测量灰质、白质与脑脊液（CSF）体积。早产儿的哭声周期与吸气时长长于足月儿（P = 0.022、0.014）；早产儿内部各胎龄组的哭声参数差异无统计学意义（均P > 0.05）。在43名行 MRI 的早產兒中，灰質與白質體積在不同胎齡組間差異顯著（P = 0.01、0.02），灰質/腦脊液與白質/腦脊液比值亦然（P = 0.010、0.020）。哭聲參數與腦體積的相關總體較弱。多元線性迴歸顯示，哭聲參數與白質體積相關（R² = 0.38，P = 0.039），與灰質或腦脊液體積無關。本研究識別了不同胎齡嬰兒哭聲特徵與 MRI 腦體積之間的關聯；這些發現提示哭聲特徵可能反映腦發育的某些方面，但觀察到的關聯總體較弱，應視爲探索性結果。
Infant crying conveys abundant information, including neurophysiological, pathological, and psychological aspects. However, the relationship between crying and brain structure remains poorly understood. In this study, 154 preterm infants and 84 term infants were enrolled, and their cries were recorded for 1 min under similar stimulation conditions. MATLAB software was used to analyse the crying data, for statistical analyses, repeated cry-level observations were averaged within infant, and each infant contributed one value for each cry acoustic parameter. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in 43 preterm infants to measure the volumes of grey matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Preterm infants had longer cry cycle and inhale durations than term infants (P = 0.022 and 0.014). Among preterm infants, cry parameters did not differ significantly across gestational ages (all P > 0.05). In 43 preterm infants with MRI, grey and white matter volumes differed significantly across gestational age groups (P = 0.01 and 0.02), as did the grey matter/CSF and white matter/CSF ratios (P = 0.010 and 0.020). Correlations between cry parameters and brain volumes were generally weak. Multiple linear regression showed that cry parameters were associated with white matter volume (R2 = 0.38, P = 0.039) but not with grey matter or CSF volume. This study identified associations between cry characteristics and MRI-derived brain volumes in infants across gestational ages. Although these findings suggest that cry characteristics may reflect certain aspects of brain development, the observed associations were generally weak and should be considered exploratory.