Lateralized neonatal EEG coherence during sleep predicts language outcome

Area of Science:

• Neonatal neuroscience
• Developmental psychology
• Neurophysiology

Background:

• Enriched language exposure may benefit infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.
• Hypothesized that changes in neonatal electroencephalogram (EEG) coherence during sleep predict language development.
• Investigated the link between brain activity and language outcomes in neonates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if neonatal electroencephalogram (EEG) coherence during sleep predicts language development.
• To explore the role of maternal voice exposure on EEG coherence and its predictive value.
• To investigate potential hemispheric differences in EEG functional connectivity related to language development.

Main Methods:

• Convalescent neonates underwent 12-hour polysomnography with randomized maternal voice playback.
• Calculated imaginary coherence (ICOH) as a measure of functional connectivity between EEG leads.
• Correlated ICOH with 18-month Bayley-III language scores using Spearman correlations.

Main Results:

• Left-hemispheric EEG functional connectivity (ICOH) during neonatal non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep was associated with 18-month language scores (rho = -0.34 to -0.48).
• This association was primarily driven by infants born at 33-34 weeks gestation.
• Right hemisphere ICOH did not show a significant association with language outcome.

Conclusions:

• Left-hemispheric EEG functional connectivity during neonatal NREM sleep demonstrates early physiologic asymmetry that predicts language development.
• Sleep analyses, particularly of EEG functional connectivity, may hold unique prognostic value for language outcomes.
• Findings suggest early cerebral hemisphere differentiation and a potential role for neonatal sleep in language development.