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Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
Published on: January 11, 2016
Auditory event-related responses in children with semi-lobar holoprosencephaly
Hongkui Jing1, Judy Flax, Cynthia P Roesler
1Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA. jinghongkui@uams.edu
Insights
Children with semi-lobar holoprosencephaly (HPE) show impaired auditory sensory responses but retain functional auditory discrimination abilities, as evidenced by event-related potential (ERP) findings.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
Background:
- Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a congenital disorder affecting brain development.
- Semi-lobar HPE presents specific challenges in neurological function.
- Auditory processing is crucial for development and communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate auditory sensory and discrimination capabilities in children with semi-lobar HPE.
- To compare event-related potential (ERP) responses between children with HPE and typically developing controls.
- To identify specific alterations in auditory processing associated with semi-lobar HPE.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an oddball paradigm with tone pair stimuli to elicit event-related potential (ERP) signals.
- Recorded ERPs from 62 scalp electrode sites.
- Analyzed latencies and amplitudes of P150, N250, and mismatch negativity (MMN)-like components.
Main Results:
- Children with HPE exhibited less organized ERP waveforms and diminished P150 and N250 components.
- Robust, yet delayed, MMN-like responses were observed in children with HPE.
- Reduced MMN amplitudes were noted in central, parietal, occipital, and posterior temporal areas in the HPE group.
Conclusions:
- Auditory sensory responses to auditory tones appear impaired in children with semi-lobar HPE.
- Subcomponents of auditory discrimination processes, particularly those reflected by MMN-like responses, remain functional.
- These findings highlight a nuanced pattern of auditory processing deficits and preservations in semi-lobar HPE.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate auditory sensory and discrimination responses in children with semi-lobar holoprosencephaly (HPE). Event-related potential (ERP) signals were recorded to tone pair stimuli at 62 electrode sites from the scalp using an oddball paradigm (a two-block design, inter-stimulus interval=70 or 300 ms; frequency of tone pair=100 vs. 100 Hz for the frequent and 100 vs. 300 Hz for the infrequent). Latencies and amplitudes of P150, N250, and mismatch negativity (MMN)-like components were compared between children with HPE and controls. Our results revealed less organized ERP waveforms to both stimuli in children with HPE, with diminished P150 and N250 components across brain area. Robust and delayed MMN-like responses were elicited from the children with HPE, with decreased MMN amplitudes in the central, parietal, occipital, and posterior temporal areas. Our results suggest that while brain sensory responses to auditory tones may be impaired in children with semi-lobar HPE, subcomponents of auditory discrimination processes remain functional.
