title: Children with dyslexia reveal abnormal native language representations: evidence from a study of mismatch negativity.
abstract: Although a deficit perceiving phonemes, as indexed by the mismatch negativity (MMN), is apparent in developmental dyslexia (DD), studies have not yet addressed whether this deficit might be a result of deficient native language speech representations. The present study examines how a native-vowel prototype and an atypical vowel are discriminated by 9-year-old children with (n = 14) and without (n = 12) DD. MMN was elicited in all conditions in both groups. The control group revealed enhanced MMN to the native-vowel prototype in comparison to the atypical vowel. Children with DD did not show enhanced MMN amplitude to the native-vowel prototype, suggesting impaired tuning to native language speech representations. Furthermore, higher MMN amplitudes to the native-vowel prototype correlated with more advanced reading (r = - .47) and spelling skills (r = - .52).
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bruder
authors.forename: Paavo H T
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Leppänen
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bartling
authors.forename: Valéria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Csépe
authors.forename: Jean-Francois
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Démonet
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schulte-Körne
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*