title: Decreased right temporal activation and increased interhemispheric connectivity in response to speech in preterm infants at term-equivalent age.
abstract: Preterm infants are at increased risk of language-related problems later in life; however, few studies have examined the effects of preterm birth on cerebral responses to speech at very early developmental stages. This study examined cerebral activation and functional connectivity in response to infant-directed speech (IDS) and adult-directed speech (ADS) in full-term neonates and preterm infants at term-equivalent age using 94-channel near-infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that compared with ADS, IDS increased activity in larger brain areas such as the bilateral frontotemporal, temporal, and temporoparietal regions, both in full-term and preterm infants. Preterm infants exhibited decreased activity in response to speech stimuli in the right temporal region compared with full-term infants, although the significance was low. Moreover, preterm infants exhibited increased interhemispheric connectivity compared with full-term controls, especially in the temporal and temporoparietal regions. These differences suggest that preterm infants may follow different developmental trajectories from those born at term owing to differences in intrauterine and extrauterine development.
authors: Okanoya Emotional Information Project, The Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology, Japan Agency of Science and Technology Saitama, Japan ; Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University Kyoto, Japan.
authors: Nozomi
authors: N
authors: Naoi
authors: Yutaka
authors: Y
authors: Fuchino
authors: Minoru
authors: M
authors: Shibata
authors: Fusako
authors: F
authors: Niwa
authors: Masahiko
authors: M
authors: Kawai
authors: Yukuo
authors: Y
authors: Konishi
authors: Kazuo
authors: K
authors: Okanoya
authors: Masako
authors: M
authors: Myowa-Yamakoshi
keywords: adult-directed speech; full-term neonates; infant-directed speech; near-infrared spectroscopy; preterm infants