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Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
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Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

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Early electrophysiological markers of atypical language processing in prematurely born infants

Natacha Paquette1, Phetsamone Vannasing2, Julie Tremblay2

  • 1Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada; Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Neuropsychologia
|October 18, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Premature infants show delayed brain responses to speech sounds as early as 3 months old, indicating potential language impairments. Early detection using auditory event-related potentials (AERPs) can facilitate timely interventions for preterm children.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Prematurity can impact nervous system development, leading to language and cognitive disorders in school-aged children.
  • Early identification of these impairments is crucial for timely intervention and improved outcomes.
  • Electrophysiological measures offer potential for early detection of neurodevelopmental delays.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the utility of auditory event-related potentials (AERPs) and mismatch negativity (MMN) in identifying early language and cognitive impairments in preterm infants.
  • To identify early electrophysiological markers of neurodevelopmental delays in prematurely born children.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed pre-attentional auditory responses (MMN and AERPs) using an oddball paradigm with speech and non-speech stimuli in 74 children (33 preterm, 41 full-term) at 3, 12, and 36 months.
  • Administered the Bayley Scale of Infant Development, Third Edition (BSID-III) to assess language and cognitive development.
  • Compared auditory responses between preterm and full-term infants and correlated MMN latency with BSID-III scores.

Main Results:

  • Preterm infants at 3 months exhibited delayed MMN responses to speech stimuli compared to full-term infants.
  • A significant negative correlation was observed between MMN latency to speech sounds and the BSID-III expressive language subscale.
  • No significant differences in MMN responses to non-speech stimuli were found between preterm and full-term infants, suggesting intact auditory discrimination.

Conclusions:

  • MMN to speech stimuli at 3 months of age may serve as an early electrophysiological marker for delayed language development in preterm infants.
  • Early identification of auditory processing differences can facilitate targeted interventions for preterm children.
  • Preserved MMN responses to non-speech stimuli indicate specific delays related to speech processing in preterm infants.

Keywords:
ChildrenElectroencephalography (EEG)Language developmentMismatch negativity (MMN)Prematurity

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