Mismatch negativity in children with complaints of learning difficulties

Abstract

IntroductionMismatch Negativity (MMN) is an electrophysiological measure of hearing that reflects the skills of auditory discrimination and central auditory processing. ObjectiveTo analyze MMN results in children with complaints of learning difficulties and to compare the results with children without complaints of learning difficulties. Materials and methodsCross-sectional and comparative study. The sample consisted of 105 male and female children, aged between 8 and 11 years and 11 months, 3rd to 5th graders at Elementary School. The study group consisted of 35 children with learning difficulties and the control group, of 70 children without complaints. All children underwent pure-tone threshold audiometry (PTTA), vocal audiometry, acoustic immittance measurements and Mismatch Negativity (MMN) evaluations. ResultsThe mean latency of MMN was 213.3ms in the right ear and 215.2ms in the left in the study group, and 169.3ms in the right ear and 170.4ms in the left in the control group. The mean MMN latency was significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group (p<.001). The mean amplitude of MMN in the study group was 5.76μV in the right ear and 5.62μV in the left, while in the control it was 5.01μV in the right ear and 5.22μV in the left. ConclusionsIn the study sample, children with complaints of learning difficulties had significantly higher mean significances than those without the same complaints.