title: Deficient speech-sound processing, as shown by the electrophysiologic brain mismatch negativity response, and naming ability in prematurely born children.
abstract: Very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500 g) preterm birth has been associated with anatomic abnormalities in brain development and cognitive and language disorders. We examined object naming ability, and an electrophysiologic index of auditory sensory discrimination of speech sounds (the mismatch negativity, MMN) in 4-year-old VLBW prematurely born children. We found that half of the VLBW children were inferior to their controls in the object naming ability. Also the MMN amplitudes were smaller in the preterm group as compared with the controls. Further, the MMN amplitude varied as a function of children's performance on object naming, such that the weaker object-naming performance of the preterm group was paralleled by the diminished MMN amplitudes. Therefore, difficulties in auditory discrimination seem to be implicated in language difficulties encountered in VLBW prematurely born children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Finnish, Saami and Logopedics, University of Oulu, FIN-90029 Oys, Finland. eira.jansson-verkasalo@oulu.fi
authors.forename: Eira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jansson-Verkasalo
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ceponiene
authors.forename: Marita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valkama
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vainionpää
authors.forename: Kyösti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Laitakari
authors.forename: Paavo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alku
authors.forename: Kalervo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suominen
authors.forename: Risto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Näätänen
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001308:Auditory Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010700:Phonetics; D011247:Pregnancy; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology