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Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
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Published on: January 29, 2014

Structural and functional atypicality in the temporal cortex are associated with auditory perception in maltreated

Natasha Y S Kawata1,2, Takashi X Fujisawa1,3,4, Akiko Yao1

  • 1Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji-Cho, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan.

Scientific Reports
|March 2, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Child maltreatment alters brain structure and connectivity in auditory regions, impacting speech perception and emotional processing. These neurodevelopmental changes may lead to long-term social communication difficulties.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Child maltreatment negatively impacts brain development, leading to psychiatric disorders.
  • The effects of maltreatment on auditory brain regions and their functional connectivity are not well understood.
  • Auditory processing is crucial for speech perception, emotional recognition, and social communication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between child maltreatment, structural and functional brain alterations in auditory regions, and auditory function.
  • To examine gray matter volume (GMV) and functional connectivity (FC) in maltreated children compared to controls.
  • To correlate neural changes with auditory thresholds and speech reception.

Main Methods:

  • Case-control study using T1-weighted and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
  • Assessed GMV in the left middle temporal gyrus (L.MTG) and FC between L.MTG and the right temporal pole (R.TP).
  • Analyzed auditory thresholds at speech-relevant frequencies and speech reception thresholds.

Main Results:

  • Maltreated children showed significant differences in L.MTG gray matter volume (P < 0.001, FWE corrected P = 0.038).
  • Significant alterations in L.MTG-R.TP functional connectivity were observed (P < 0.001, FWE corrected P = 0.013).
  • These neural changes correlate with auditory processing deficits relevant to speech perception.

Conclusions:

  • Child maltreatment induces neurodevelopmental adaptations in auditory brain regions, affecting GMV and FC.
  • These alterations may impair auditory and emotional information processing, impacting speech perception and social communication.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is vital for developing targeted therapeutic interventions for maltreated individuals.

Keywords:
Auditory emotional perceptionMaltreated childrenResting-state fMRITemporal cortexVoxel-based morphometry

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