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Published on: July 1, 2015
Auditory Pathway Maturation in Full-term Small for Gestational Age Children: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis
Dourivaldo Silva Santos1, Luciene da Cruz Fernandes2, Mara Renata Rissatto-Lago3
1Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
Insights
Babies born small for gestational age (SGA) exhibit brainstem neural conduction dysfunction. Brainstem auditory evoked potentials reveal delayed wave V absolute latency, indicating altered auditory pathway maturation in SGA infants.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
- Auditory Neuroscience
Background:
- Intrauterine growth restriction can lead to full-term infants being born small for gestational age (SGA).
- Evidence suggests that intrauterine growth restriction may impact neural maturation processes.
- Understanding these impacts is crucial for early intervention and developmental support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neural maturation changes in full-term SGA children.
- To analyze brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) wave latencies and interpeak intervals in SGA versus appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) children.
- To determine if SGA status is associated with auditory pathway maturation differences.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing BAEP in full-term SGA newborns compared to AGA controls.
- Searches were conducted on MEDLINE/PubMed Central and LILACS/BVS databases until October 31, 2021.
- Included 10 studies (5 for meta-analysis) with 473 participants (193 SGA, 280 AGA).
Main Results:
- A meta-analysis of 5 studies revealed a statistically significant difference in the absolute latency of wave V between SGA and AGA groups (95% CI: 0.02-0.15; p < 0.01).
- No significant differences were found in interpeak intervals, suggesting a specific impact on peripheral auditory pathway conduction.
- The findings indicate a brainstem neural conduction dysfunction in SGA infants.
Conclusions:
- The small for gestational age (SGA) condition is associated with brainstem neural conduction dysfunction, as evidenced by BAEP.
- This dysfunction is likely related to altered maturation processes within the auditory pathway of SGA infants.
- BAEP serves as a valuable tool for assessing auditory pathway development in SGA populations.
Abstract:
Introduction Factors of intrauterine growth restriction have been responsible for the births of full-term babies small for their gestational age (SGA). Scientific evidence points that this restriction can cause changes in the neural maturation process. Objectives To analyze the absolute latencies and interpeak intervals of brainstem auditory evoked potential waves in full-term and SGA children to investigate whether there are changes of neural maturation in this population. Data Synthesis The search for articles that reported the assessment of brainstem auditory evoked potential in SGA newborns compared with a control, appropriate for their gestational age, both born full-term, for the entire period available in the database research until October 31, 2021 was performed based on the MEDLINE/PubMed Central and on the Latin America and the Caribbean Health Sciences Literature and Virtual Health Library electronic databases. A total of 311 studies were found in the database research. Out of this total, 10 studies were included in the review, 5 of which were eligible for the meta-analysis, involving a total of 473 participants of both genders, with 193 participants belonging to the study group and 280 to the control group. Differences between the groups were only observed in the absolute latency of wave V (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02-0.15; p < 0.01). Conclusion The SGA condition is responsible for the appearance of brainstem neural conduction dysfunction measured by the brainstem auditory evoked potentials, probably by the maturation process of the auditory pathway of this population.
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