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Aim: The aim was to determine whether preterm and full-term newborn infants could process maternal breast odour at a cortical level.Methods: Newborn infants were exposed to cloths containing their own mother's breast odour and freshly laundered control cloths for 10 seconds, while functional near-infrared spectroscopy measured cortical activation in their olfactory processing areas. We studied 45 newborn infants born at 28-41 weeks of gestation and divided them into three groups: full-term (37-41 weeks), late preterm (33-36 weeks) and very preterm (28-32 weeks). Cortical activation was defined as a regional increase of oxyhaemoglobin following maternal breast odour stimuli.Results: Full-term infants demonstrated bilateral activation of their olfactory cortices following exposure to maternal breast odour. Late preterm infants and very preterm boys exhibited unilateral cortical activation, unlike very preterm girls.Conclusion: Infants born from 32 weeks, and possibly earlier, could process low concentration maternal odours at a cortical level, which suggests they were more aware of their environment. These findings could make a significant contribution to improving the sensory environment of preterm infants and improve bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]