Abstract
Objective. This study examined the patterns of neural activity in the central auditory system in children with hearing loss. Methods. Cortical potentials and mismatch responses (MMRs) were recorded from ten children aged between 9 and 10 years: five with hearing loss and five with normal hearing in passive oddball paradigms using verbal and nonverbal stimuli. Results. Results indicate a trend toward larger P1 amplitude, a significant reduction in amplitude, and latency of N2 in children with hearing loss compared to control. No significant group differences were observed for the majority of the MMRs conditions. Conclusions. Data suggest that the reduced auditory input affects the pattern of cortical-auditory-evoked potentials in children with a mild to moderately severe hearing loss. Results suggest maturational delays and/or deficits in central auditory processing in children with hearing loss, as indicated by the neurophysiological markers P1 and N2. In contrast, negative MMR data suggest that the amplification provided by the hearing aids could have allowed children with hearing loss to develop adequate discriminative abilities.
Highlights
Sensory hearing loss often affects speech perception due to a decreased audibility of the signal as well as decreased temporal analysis ability [1,2,3]
Obtained in a limited number of children and in a restricted age range, these preliminary findings indicate that reduced auditory input early in life has an impact on the development of central auditory functions reflected by the specific patterns of cortical-auditoryevoked potentials (CAEPs)
The data further indicate that sensory hearing loss affects differently the earlier cortical component P1 compared to the later component N2
Summary
Sensory hearing loss often affects speech perception due to a decreased audibility of the signal as well as decreased temporal analysis ability [1,2,3]. Studies have demonstrated the influence of hearing loss on auditory temporal ordering, a task which involves the central auditory system [4,5,6]. The lower performance of children with hearing loss in this task could be caused by central auditory neurophysiological deficits. Sensory hearing loss in adults induced a delay in the latency of N1, N2, and a reduction in N2-P2 amplitude [8]. Oates et al [7] investigated the N1, N2, MMN, and P3, presented at 65 and 80 dB SPL, and found a latency prolongation and an amplitude reduction of these components in adults with hearing loss compared to those of the control group at both levels of presentation. Several factors could account for these differential findings, such as participants’ age, age at onset of hearing loss, type and/or degree of hearing loss, level of stimulus presentation, and type of stimuli used
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