Language asymmetry and auditory attention in young adulthood after being born small-for-gestational age or with cardio-pulmonary resuscitation at birth.
A dichotic listening test with consonant-vowel syllables was used to assess language asymmetry and shift of attention in 42 young adults who had been in need of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation at birth, with a mild or moderate clinical course during the neonatal period (n = 31), or were born small-for-gestational age (SGA; n = 11) and compared with healthy controls (n = 17). All the participants were followed up prospectively and displayed no neurological or developmental deficits at 18 months of age. All the groups had an expected right-ear advantage during a baseline condition with no instructions to shift attention. The SGA group and the moderate resuscitated group displayed clear signs of an attenuation of the right-ear advantage and they were also less able to modify the ear preference in forced-attention conditions, compared with the control group. The main finding was that the groups with the most severe pre- and perinatal complications were also most affected on the dichotic listening test at adult age.
Viggedal
Gerd
G
Department of Pediatrics, Göteborg University, The Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden. gerd.viggedal@vregion.se
Carlsson
Göran
G
Hugdahl
Kenneth
K
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004007:Dichotic Listening Tests / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values