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Brainstem auditory pathway function at four months of corrected postnatal age in preterm infants born below 30 week

Ze Dong Jiang1, Cui Wang1, Li Li Ping2

  • 1Division of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, 399 Wan Yuan Road, Shanghai, China.

Brain & Development
|April 28, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Very or extremely preterm birth impacts infant auditory development. Infants born before 30 weeks gestation show higher brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) thresholds, longer wave latencies, and reduced amplitudes at four months corrected age.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Auditory Neuroscience

Background:

  • Preterm birth, particularly before 30 weeks gestation, poses risks to infant neurodevelopment.
  • The brainstem auditory pathway's development can be affected by extreme prematurity.
  • Assessing auditory pathway function is crucial for understanding the impact of preterm birth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the functional status of the brainstem auditory pathway at four months corrected postnatal age in infants born extremely preterm (below 30 weeks gestation).
  • To determine the specific effects of very or extremely preterm birth on the postnatal development of this pathway.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 34 infants born between 24-29 weeks gestation (GA24-29w) was studied at four months corrected age.
  • Brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAER) using the maximum length sequence (MLS) method were recorded with 60 dB nHL clicks.
  • A control group of 38 age-matched, term-born infants was included for comparison.

Main Results:

  • Infants born GA24-29w exhibited significantly higher BAER thresholds, longer wave latencies, and lower wave amplitudes compared to term controls.
  • While the I-V interval showed no significant difference, the I-III interval was shorter and the III-V interval was longer in the preterm group at higher click rates.
  • These interval changes persisted even when infants with elevated thresholds were excluded, suggesting a developmental alteration.

Conclusions:

  • Infants born before 30 weeks gestation demonstrate altered brainstem auditory pathway function at four months corrected age, characterized by elevated thresholds, increased latencies, and reduced amplitudes.
  • Specific interval changes (shorter I-III, longer III-V) at high click rates suggest a mild to moderate impact on auditory pathway maturation.
  • Very or extremely preterm birth significantly affects the postnatal development of the brainstem auditory pathway.
Abstract

Keywords:
Brainstem auditory pathwayDevelopmental neurologyEvoked potentialsExtremely preterm infantsPostnatal development

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