Neural processing of speech in noise recognition in preschool children with different auditory processing abilities:...

This study aims to investigate differences in brain oxyhemoglobin concentrations among preschool children with varying auditory processing (AP) abilities, as screened by the Preschool Auditory Processing Assessment Scale (PAPAS). The study selected 36 children with AP deficits and 52 typically developing (TD) children as subjects, all screened using the PAPAS. An fNIRS system measured cerebral hemodynamic responses during a speech recognition task performed under noisy and silent conditions. Behavioral results from the fNIRS task showed that children with AP deficits exhibited lower accuracy in speech recognition under noisy conditions compared with TD children. Region of interest activation analysis at the group level revealed significant activation in the left superior temporal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, and right middle temporal gyrus in TD children during the speech-in-noise recognition task. In contrast, children with AP deficits did not show significant activation in these regions at the group level. Comparative analyses indicated that activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, and right middle temporal gyrus was significantly lower in the AP deficits group than in the TD group.