Mismatch Negativity is associated with affective social behavior in microcephaly

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Zika virus infection can cause severe microcephaly in infants.
• Some children with microcephaly display social-like behaviors, including smiling and stranger anxiety.
• The neurological underpinnings of these behaviors in microcephalic children are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between affective social-like behavior and Mismatch Response (MMR) in children with Zika-related microcephaly.
• To determine if MMR patterns differ between microcephalic children with and without social behaviors.
• To explore the potential cognitive and social adaptive capacities in this population.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-eight children (1-3 years) with severe microcephaly were recruited.
• Participants were categorized into Affect(+) (with social behavior) and Affect(-) (without social behavior) groups.
• The OddBall paradigm using auditory vowel stimuli was employed to measure event-related potentials, specifically MMR.

Main Results:

• The Affect(+) group showed a statistically significant difference in MMR compared to the Affect(-) group.
• MMR was observed as Mismatch Negativity (MMN) in specific brain regions (left occipital, temporal, and parietal leads) in the Affect(+) group.
• The Affect(-) group did not exhibit significant MMN patterns.

Conclusions:

• A significant relationship exists between MMN and affective social-like behavior in children with Zika-related microcephaly.
• These findings suggest that some microcephalic children possess cognitive mechanisms supporting social interaction despite severe neurological deficits.
• MMN assessment may aid in evaluating cognitive function and guiding social adaptation strategies for microcephalic individuals.