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Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Auditory event-related potentials are related to cognition at preschool age after very preterm birth
Holger Hövel1, Eino Partanen2, Eva Tideman3
1Department of Pediatrics, Clinical Sciences, Lund and Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Insights
Auditory event-related potentials (AERP) in very preterm children correlate with cognitive outcomes. Neonatal factors like morbidity and brain damage impact auditory processing, affecting cognitive development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Auditory event-related potentials (AERP) reflect sound perception and cognitive functions.
- Investigating AERP in very preterm children can reveal links to cognitive development.
- Preterm birth is associated with risks for neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the correlation between AERP measures and cognitive outcomes in preschool-aged children born very preterm.
- To identify specific AERP components and time windows associated with cognitive performance.
Main Methods:
- Seventy very preterm children (gestational age 27.4 ± 1.9 wk) were assessed at 4.3–5.3 years.
- Cognitive abilities were evaluated using WPPSI-R and NEPSY tests.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded AERP responses to auditory stimuli, measuring latencies and amplitudes.
Main Results:
- Higher cognitive scores and gestational age correlated with shorter P1 latencies and more positive AERP amplitudes (150-500 ms).
- Neonatal brain damage was linked to negative AERP displacements.
- Neonatal morbidity affected early AERP, while immaturity and brain damage influenced both early and later auditory processing.
Conclusions:
- AERP measures are significantly associated with cognitive outcomes in very preterm children.
- Neonatal factors differentially impact auditory processing stages, from early encoding to higher cortical functions.
- Perinatal factors may influence the development of auditory processing and cognitive abilities.
Background:
Auditory event-related potentials (AERP) are neurophysiological correlates of sound perception and cognitive processes. Our aim was to study in very preterm born children at preschool age if AERP correlate with cognitive outcome.
Methods:
Seventy children (mean ± SD gestational age 27.4 ± 1.9 wk, birth weight 996 ± 288 g) were investigated at age 4.3-5.3 y with psychological testing (WPPSI-R, four subtests of NEPSY). Electroencephalogram was recorded while they listened to a repeated standard tone, randomly replaced by one of three deviants. Latencies and amplitudes for AERP components and mean amplitudes in successive 50-ms AERP time windows were measured.
Results:
Better cognitive test results and higher gestational age correlated with shorter P1 latencies and more positive mean amplitudes 150-500 ms after stimulus change onset. Neonatal brain damage was associated with a negative displacement of AERP curves. Neonatal morbidity had an impact on earlier time windows while gestational age and brain damage on both early and later time windows.
Conclusion:
AERP measures were associated with cognitive outcome. Neonatal morbidity mainly affects early cortical auditory encoding, while immaturity and brain damage additionally influence higher cortical functions of auditory perception and distraction. Perinatal auditory environment might play a role in development of auditory processing.
