Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
Published on: January 29, 2014
Long latency auditory evoked potentials in malnourished children
Renata Parente de Almeida1, Carla Gentile Matas2
1Universidade de São Paulo, School of Medicine, São PauloSP, Brazil.
Insights
Malnourished children exhibit altered long latency auditory evoked potentials (LLAEPs), indicating potential deficits in central auditory pathways. These findings highlight the impact of malnutrition on auditory information processing in children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
Background:
- Malnutrition is a global health concern affecting child development.
- Auditory pathway integrity is crucial for cognitive and language development.
- Long latency auditory evoked potentials (LLAEPs) provide insights into central auditory processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize LLAEP findings in malnourished children.
- To compare LLAEPs in malnourished children with those of typically developing children.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated 65 children (7-12 years old), including 31 malnourished and 34 controls.
- Utilized pure tone audiometry, impedance, dichotic digit test, and LLAEPs.
- Compared LLAEP parameters (latency, amplitude) between groups.
Main Results:
- Malnourished children showed significantly longer P1, N1, and P300 latencies compared to controls.
- Predominant alterations in malnourished children included increased P1/P300 latency and absent N1 response.
- Control group exhibited significant differences in P300 amplitude between ears.
Conclusions:
- Malnourished children demonstrate significant changes in LLAEPs.
- These alterations suggest impaired central auditory pathways and auditory information processing.
- Findings underscore the neurodevelopmental impact of malnutrition on the auditory system.
Purpose:
To characterize the findings obtained in the long latency auditory evoked potentials in malnourished children, as well as to compare them to the results obtained for children at the same age who present typical development.
Methods:
Sixty-five children aged between 7 and 12 years old, of both genders, were evaluated. The control group consisted of 34 children with normal development and the study group consisted of 31 children diagnosed with malnutrition. All children underwent conventional pure tone audiometry, acoustic impedance measurement, dichotic digit test and long latency auditory evoked potentials.
Results:
The study group presented a statistically significant difference for latencies of the components P1, N1 and P300. The latencies of these components were higher than those of the control group. Concerning the types of alterations found in the study group, increased latency for P1 and P300 and the absence of response in N1 were predominant. The control group showed a statistically significant difference in the amplitude of P300 when compared to the right and left ears.
Conclusion:
Malnourished children present with changes in the long latency auditory evoked potentials, suggesting a deficit in central auditory pathways and alterations in the processing of acoustic information.
