Cry analysis for early detection of infantile colic: Integrating behavioral and acoustic cry patterns using machine learning

Background The study introduces an artificial intelligence (AI) cry analysis tool supporting automatic data collection and detection of crying episodes associated with infantile colic by analyzing behavioral and acoustic infant cry patterns. Methods The study included 22 full-term infants, divided into groups, with or without infantile colic, based on parental reports and Rome IV criteria for infantile colic. Non-elicited spontaneous cry data were automatically and longitudinally recorded in natural home environments during the infants’ first 2 months. Cry characteristics were analyzed through comprehensive multimodal feature extraction, encompassing behavioral and acoustic parameters. Behavioral features included cry frequency, temporal duration, and cry types characterization (e.g. hunger and sleep). Acoustic metrics include fundamental frequency (F0) and spectral characteristics such as mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, among others. Comparative statistical analyses were then performed to evaluate significant differences between the colic and non-colic infant groups. Then, several machine learning algorithms were applied to classify the groups based on the identified cry features. Results Infants suffering from colic present an increased arousal state with significantly higher cry frequency and duration, interestingly peaking in the evening, with distress cries as a dominant type. The best-performing AI model based on behavioral cry analysis achieved up to 92% accuracy, automatically identifying crying episodes associated with infantile colic. Conclusions The potential for home-based, non-invasive, objective tools supporting automatic data collection and detection of infantile colic, combined with infant symptomatology, may facilitate a more proactive healthcare approach and enhance parental colic management strategies, reducing the burden on pediatric services. Parental education leading to timely clinical interventions could improve infant well-being and mitigate caregiver stress.