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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
An electrophysiological study of school-aged children with a history of failure to thrive during infancy
R A Dykman1, P C Loizou, P T Ackerman
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, and Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock 72202, USA.
Insights
Children with nonorganic failure-to-thrive (FTT) exhibit less efficient inhibitory processes. Electrophysiological study shows heightened frontal brain activity in FTT children during a continuous performance task, suggesting underlying neurodevelopmental differences.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Nonorganic failure-to-thrive (FTT) is a condition affecting child development.
- Previous research suggests potential neurodevelopmental impacts of FTT.
- Understanding cognitive and neural differences in FTT is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate visual electrophysiological differences in children with a history of nonorganic failure-to-thrive (FTT).
- To compare event-related brain potentials (ERPs) between FTT children and matched control groups.
- To explore potential links between FTT and inhibitory processing efficiency.
Main Methods:
- A visual electrophysiological study involving 65 children (ages 8-12).
- Participants included 22 children with a history of nonorganic FTT and 43 typically developing controls (split into low and high IQ groups).
- Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a cued continuous performance task (CPT).
Main Results:
- Failure-to-thrive (FTT) subjects made more omission errors on targets compared to high IQ controls.
- ERP analysis revealed greater late frontal negativity in FTT subjects for non-target stimuli.
- This difference in late frontal negativity suggests potential deficits in inhibitory control processes.
Conclusions:
- Children with a history of nonorganic failure-to-thrive (FTT) may possess less efficient inhibitory processes.
- Heightened late frontal activation in FTT children during a CPT indicates potential neurodevelopmental differences.
- These findings highlight the importance of assessing cognitive functions in children with FTT.
Abstract:
Sixty-five subjects, ages 8 to 12, participated in a visual electrophysiological study. Twenty-two of the subjects had received a diagnosis of nonorganic failure-to-thrive (FTT) before the age of three. The remaining 43 subjects had no history of FTT and served as Controls. IQs were obtained with the abbreviated WISC-III, and the Controls were split into two groups, LO IQ and HI IQ, to provide a LO IQ Control group with an average IQ equivalent to the FTT group. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded from five scalp locations during a cued continuous performance task (CPT). Subjects had to press a button every time they saw the letter "X" following the letter "A" (50 targets out of 400 stimuli). During the CPT, the FTT subjects made marginally more errors of omission to targets than the LO IQ Control group and significantly more errors of omission than the HI IQ Control subjects. The groups did not differ significantly on errors of commission (false alarms) or reaction times to targets. ERP averages revealed a group difference in amplitude in a late slow wave for the 50 non-X stimuli (false targets) that followed the letter A. This difference was greatest over frontal sites, where the FTT group had a more negative going slow wave than each control group. Late frontal negativity to No Go stimuli has been linked with post-decisional processing, notably in young children. Thus, the FTT subjects may have less efficient inhibitory processes, reflected by additional late frontal activation.
