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Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
06:34

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

Infant temperament and the brainstem auditory evoked response in later childhood

S A Woodward1, M H McManis, J Kagan

  • 1Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. sawt@wjh.harvard.edu

Developmental Psychology
|July 11, 2001
PubMed

Insights

High reactive infants showed distinct brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAERs) by age 10-12. This physiological difference in brainstem activity supports early temperament classification in children.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Infant temperament, specifically reactivity to unfamiliar stimuli, is a stable individual difference.
  • High reactive infants often develop inhibited or fearful temperaments.
  • Adult introverts exhibit faster brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) wave V latency compared to extroverts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if early infant temperament (high vs. low reactivity) is associated with measurable differences in brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAERs) in preadolescent children.
  • To explore the neurophysiological correlates of early temperamental classifications.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluated BAERs in 56 children aged 10-12 years.
  • Children were previously classified as high or low reactive to unfamiliar stimuli at 4 months of age.
  • BAERs, specifically wave V components and latency, were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Children classified as high reactive at 4 months exhibited larger wave V components in their BAERs compared to low reactive children.
  • This finding suggests potentially greater excitability in the auditory pathway projections to the inferior colliculus in high-reactive children.

Conclusions:

  • Fundamental differences in brainstem activity can distinguish preadolescent children based on their early temperamental groups.
  • Physiological data, such as BAERs, are valuable for understanding the neurodevelopmental underpinnings of temperament.
  • This research supports the long-term stability of temperamental traits and their neurophysiological markers.

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