Abstract
Background: Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) provide an objective analysis of central nervous system function and development in infants. This study proposed to examine the relationship between infant BAEP values at age 6 months, and their neurodevelopment at age 2 years assessed by the mental development indices (MDI), a form of Bayley Scales of Infant Development. We hypothesized that in infants with BAEP values outside normal range, there may be neurodevelopmental delays, as shown by their MDI scores.Methods: An exploratory investigation was conducted using preterm (28–36 weeks gestation; 95 cases) and term infants (≥37 weeks gestation; 100 cases) who were born with specific perinatal conditions. BAEP values were recorded in these infants from 1 to 8 months of age, and compared with MDI scores in these infants at age 2 years. A multivariate linear regressions model was performed to test the associations between all variables and MDI scores. Stratified linear regression was used to test the interactions between gestational age and BAEP values with MDI scores. Significance was determined at a p < 0.05.Results: We found that BAEP values were inversely associated with MDI scores in premature infants (β = −1.89; 95% confidence interval = −3.42 to −0.36), and that the effect of gestational age and BAEP values on the MDI scores is decreased by 1.89 points due to the interaction between these two variables. In premature babies, the lower the BAEP value below the mean, the greater the decrease in MDI score at age 2 years. Asphyxia and lower socioeconomic status in the family were also covariates associated with lower MDI scores at age 2 years.Conclusion: The data provided evidence that BAEP values outside the normal range in premature infants at age 6 months may predict developmental delays in cognitive and motor skills, as shown by MDI scores. We propose that BAEP assessment may be utilized as a potential indicator for neurodevelopment, and suggest that early intellectual and public health interventions should be encouraged to enrich neurodevelopment in premature babies with BAEP values outside the normal range.
Highlights
There has been a rapid increase in survival rates of premature infants in recent decades because of the advancement in neonatal intensive care
This study proposed to examine the relationship between infant brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) values at age 6 months, and their neurodevelopment at age 2 years assessed by the mental development indices (MDI), a form of Bayley Scales of Infant Development
We found that BAEP values were inversely associated with MDI scores in premature infants (β = −1.89; 95% confidence interval = −3.42 to −0.36), and that the effect of gestational age and BAEP values on the MDI scores is decreased by 1.89 points due to the interaction between these two variables
Summary
There has been a rapid increase in survival rates of premature infants in recent decades because of the advancement in neonatal intensive care. If not addressed properly in the early stages of infant development, these medical issues in early infancy can have long-term effects on neurodevelopment [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Abnormality in the brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) is considered to be an early indicator for cognitive related brain issues in premature infants and those with perinatal issues [7]. BAEP may be used to assess auditory function in infants and children, and is considered as a clinically useful method for evaluation of cognitive development [8]. Because of the widespread acceptance of BAEP as a clinical tool assessing early cognitive brain issues, we proposed to utilize BAEP in our investigation of neurodevelopment in infants with perinatal issues. Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) provide an objective analysis of central nervous system function and development in infants. We hypothesized that in infants with BAEP values outside normal range, there may be neurodevelopmental delays, as shown by their MDI scores
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