title: Processing of Horizontal Sound Localization Cues in Newborn Infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  By measuring event-related brain potentials (ERPs), the authors tested the sensitivity of the newborn auditory cortex to sound lateralization and to the most common cues of horizontal sound localization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-eight healthy full-term newborn infants were presented with auditory oddball sequences composed of frequent and rare noise segments in four experimental conditions. The authors tested in them the detection of deviations in the primary cues of sound lateralization (interaural time and level difference) and in actual sound source location (free-field and monaural sound presentation). ERP correlates of deviance detection were measured in two time windows.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Deviations in both primary sound localization cues and the ear of stimulation elicited a significant ERP difference in the early (90 to 140 msec) time window. Deviance in actual sound source location (the free-field condition) elicited a significant response in the late (290 to 340 msec) time window.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The early differential response may indicate the detection of a change in the respective auditory features. The authors suggest that the late differential response, which was only elicited by actual sound source location deviation, reflects the detection of location deviance integrating the various cues of sound source location. Although the results suggest that all of the tested binaural cues are processed by the neonatal auditory cortex, utilizing the cues for locating sound sources of these cues may require maturation and learning.
authors: 1Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary; 2Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary; 3Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 4Department of Obstetrics-Gynaecology and Perinatal Intensive Care Unit, Military Hospital, Budapest, Hungary; and 5Institute of Psychology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors: Renáta
authors: R
authors: Németh
authors: Gábor P
authors: GP
authors: Háden
authors: Miklós
authors: M
authors: Török
authors: István
authors: I
authors: Winkler
mesh_terms: D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D003463:Cues; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D013017:Sound Localization / Q000502:physiology*