A device that tricks newborns' brains into thinking they are running could save the lives of millions of premature babies. One in seven South African babies is born prematurely and because its respiratory system is not fully formed it is at risk of apnoea, the temporary cessation of breathing.US doctors have found that a cheap device that vibrates disks attached to a baby's hands and feet triggers nerve fibres to alert the brain that the limb is moving.Ronald Harper, a professor of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, at UCLA, said newborns had an innate mechanism that triggered increased breathing."When our feet hit the ground running, we flex muscles and joints that have nerve fibres leading to the brain that signal that the body is running."This message is coupled with another set of fibres to parts of the brain that regulate breathing. These fibres signal the brain to increase the breathing rate.Researchers tested the device on 15 premature babies and found that the number of incidents in which oxygen levels were low was reduced by 33% and the number of breathing pauses fell by 40%.Reporting their findings in PLOS One, they said the device also reduced low-heart-rate episodes by 65%, which was significant because a slow heart rate could impair the flow of blood to vital tissues.Kalpashri Kesavan, a neonatologist at UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital, said shortage of oxygen and low heart rate could damage the lungs and eyes, injure the nerves to the heart, affect the hormonal system and injure the brain."Long-term use of the device could decrease breathing pauses, maintain normal oxygen levels, stabilise the cardiovascular system and help improve the neuro-development of pre-term infants."We might be able to bring about this change with something that is non-invasive, drug-free and has no side effects. "The researchers plan a study on a larger number of patients over a longer period. They will also study the effects of the device on blood pressure...