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Updated: Jan 10, 2026
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Frequency-Following Response in Infants With Congenital Syphilis
Sheila Andreoli Balen1,2,3, Carolina Karla de Souza Evangelista1,2,4, Teresa Ribas-Prats5,6,7
1Undergraduate Program in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
Insights
Infants treated for congenital syphilis show normal auditory processing. This study found preserved frequency-following response (FFR) in treated infants, crucial for language development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
Background:
- Congenital syphilis can impact infant neurodevelopment.
- Early treatment is crucial for mitigating long-term effects.
- Auditory pathway function is vital for language acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency-following response (FFR) in infants with congenital syphilis undergoing treatment.
- To compare auditory processing in treated infants with congenital syphilis to a control group.
- To assess the impact of congenital syphilis treatment on auditory pathway function relevant to language development.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 90 infants (15-90 days old).
- Two groups: 53 treated for congenital syphilis, 37 controls.
- Recorded auditory frequency-following responses (FFRs) to a /da/ stimulus; analyzed in time and frequency domains.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in FFR spectral amplitude between treated and control infants.
- No significant differences in prestimulus root-mean-square, neural lag, or signal-to-noise ratio.
- Auditory pathway function appears preserved in infants treated for congenital syphilis.
Conclusions:
- Appropriate perinatal treatment for congenital syphilis preserves auditory pathway function in infants.
- Sound processing, including temporal and spectral characteristics, is maintained.
- These preserved functions are important for subsequent language acquisition.
Purpose:
This work aimed to study the frequency-following response (FFR) of infants with congenital syphilis under treatment.
Method:
A cross-sectional study with 112 infants recruited at public maternities was conducted. A total of 90 infants were included in the sample and divided into two groups: 53 infants whose mothers and infants received perinatal syphilis treatment and 37 infants whose mothers and infants were free of syphilis (control group). Infant age ranged from 15 to 90 days (M = 39.9 ± 17.2 days). FFRs were recorded to a 170-ms consonant-vowel /da/ stimulus, presented at 80 dB nHL to the right ear. Data were analyzed in the time and frequency domains. The Shapiro-Wilk and Mann-Whitney U tests were applied with a significance level of p ≤ .05.
Results:
No significant between-groups differences were observed in FFR spectral amplitude at the stimulus fundamental frequency or its harmonics, whether computed in the transient or steady portions of the stimulus. No significant differences were observed in prestimulus root-mean-square, neural lag, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the spectral amplitude.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that infants with congenital syphilis, when appropriately treated at birth, demonstrate preserved auditory pathway function and sound processing, including temporal and spectral characteristics that are relevant for language acquisition.
