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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #151188
Title: SYLLABLE DISCRIMINATION IN FAILURE TO THRIVE BABIES: AN ERP STUDY

Author
item DYKMAN, ROSCOE - ACNC
item PIVIK, R - ACNC

Submitted to: Society of Psychophysiological Research
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/2/2003
Publication Date: 10/15/2003
Citation: Dykman, R.A., Pivik, R.T. 2003. Syllable discrimination in failure to thrive babies: an ERP study [abstract]. Society Of Psychophysiological Research. p. S37.

Interpretive Summary: This study compared the comprehension of simple speech syllables in infants and toddlers diagnosed with failure to thrive (FTT) with normally growing children the same age, race, sex, and social status. The children listened to two speech sounds (pa and ba), one occurring infrequently and the other infrequently. Controls had larger brain responses than FTTs that appeared about one-third of a second after the infrequently occurring syllables. This indicates that the perception of speech sounds is different in the two groups, and this may relate to the academic differences many FTT children experience once they enter school.

Technical Abstract: Many studies attest to the ability of normal infants to differentiate speech sounds in the early days of life, but similar studies have not been done on failure to thrive (FTT) babies. This study investigates syllable discrimination in 26 FTT and 22 normal infants and toddlers (6-27 months) matched for age, race, sex, and social status (SES). Babies heard either /pa/ or /ba/ with one stimulus presented on 20% and the other on 80% of the trials(ISI=2.5 s, stimulus duration 300 ms, sounds spoken by a male voice at 72 dB with stimuli alternated across subjects). There were two prominent waves, a positive peak occurring at about 270 ms and a positive but negative going slow wave between 500 and 900 ms. The slow wave exhibited significant differences in leads x age, condition, and in condition x age x lead (p<.039 for each). The odd stimulus produced a more negative going slow wave than the positive stimulus. The P270 average was statistically different for condition x group, leads, and for leads x group x gender (p<.042 for each). Controls had a significantly larger positive wave than FTTs for the odd stimulus, but a smaller positive wave for the frequent stimulus. These differences were centered over F3, F4, and Cz. Our previous studies have shown that FTT subjects suffer academic difficulties during elementary school. The present findings may indicate early differences in language processing related to these later difficulties.