Event-related brain potentials to change in the frequency and temporal structure of sounds in typically developing 5-6-year-old children.

The brain's ability to recognize different acoustic cues (e.g., frequency changes in rapid temporal succession) is important for speech perception and thus for successful language development. Here we report on distinct event-related potentials (ERPs) in 5-6-year-old children recorded in a passive oddball paradigm to repeated tone pair stimuli with a frequency change in the second tone in the pair, replicating earlier findings. An occasional insertion of a third tone within the tone pair generated a more merged pattern, which has not been reported previously in 5-6-year-old children. Both types of deviations elicited pre-attentive discriminative mismatch negativity (MMN) and late discriminative negativity (LDN) responses. Temporal principal component analysis (tPCA) showed a similar topographical pattern with fronto-central negativity for MMN and LDN. We also found a previously unreported discriminative response complex (P340-N440) at the temporal electrode sites at about 140 ms and 240 ms after the frequency deviance, which we suggest reflects a discriminative processing of frequency change. The P340 response was positive with a clear radial distribution preceding the fronto-central frequency MMN by about 30 ms. The results indicate that 5-6-year-old children can detect frequency change and the occasional insertion of an additional tone in sound pairs as reflected by MMN and LDN, even with quite short within-stimulus intervals (150 ms and 50 ms). Furthermore, MMN for these changes is preceded by another response to deviancy, temporal P340, which seems to reflect a parallel but earlier discriminatory process.

Electrophysiological correlates of cross-linguistic semantic integration in hearing signers: N400 and LPC.

We explored semantic integration mechanisms in native and non-native hearing users of sign language and non-signing controls. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants performed a semantic decision task for priming lexeme pairs. Pairs were presented either within speech or across speech and sign language. Target-related ERP responses were subjected to principal component analyses (PCA), and neurocognitive basis of semantic integration processes were assessed by analyzing the N400 and the late positive complex (LPC) components in response to spoken (auditory) and signed (visual) antonymic and unrelated targets. Semantically-related effects triggered across modalities would indicate a similar tight interconnection between the signers׳ two languages like that described for spoken language bilinguals. Remarkable structural similarity of the N400 and LPC components with varying group differences between the spoken and signed targets were found. The LPC was the dominant response. The controls׳ LPC differed from the LPC of the two signing groups. It was reduced to the auditory unrelated targets and was less frontal for all the visual targets. The visual LPC was more broadly distributed in native than non-native signers and was left-lateralized for the unrelated targets in the native hearing signers only. Semantic priming effects were found for the auditory N400 in all groups, but only native hearing signers revealed a clear N400 effect to the visual targets. Surprisingly, the non-native signers revealed no semantically-related processing effect to the visual targets reflected in the N400 or the LPC; instead they appeared to rely more on visual post-lexical analyzing stages than native signers. We conclude that native and non-native signers employed different processing strategies to integrate signed and spoken semantic content. It appeared that the signers׳ semantic processing system was affected by group-specific factors like language background and/or usage.

Early vocalization of preterm infants with extremely low birth weight (ELBW), Part I: From birth to expansion stage.

The vocalization of preterm infants with extremely low birth weight (ELBW) up to the expansion stage was systematically described and compared with those of healthy full-term infants. The sample consisted of 18 preterm ELBW infants and the control group of 11 full-term infants. The follow-up was performed intensively using video-recordings. The vocalization of the preterm and full-term infants was analyzed quantitatively according to the categorical stages created by Oller. A descriptive analysis of all the vocalizations produced by the infants was performed. The preterm infants entered the primitive articulation stage later than the full-term infants and failed to produce more skills during that stage. According to this sample, there was no difference in entering the expansion stage, but the preterm infants failed to produce more skills than the full-term infants. The number of vocalization acts varied differently by age between the groups.

Early vocalization of preterm infants with extremely low birth weight (ELBW), Part II: From canonical babbling up to the appearance of the first word.

The aim of this study was to systematically describe the preverbal development of preterm infants from canonical babbling up to the first word and to compare it with that of healthy full-term infants. In addition, the amount of vocalization between the preterm and full-term groups was compared. The sample consisted of 18 preterm infants with extremely low birth weight and 11 full-term infants. The development of preverbal vocalization before variegated babbling did not differ between the groups. Instead, the preterm infants failed to produce more different kinds of canonical syllable types than the full-term infants. However, they showed a larger variance of variegated babbling skills and remained in the babbling phase longer before reaching the first meaningful word compared with the full-term infants. Following the onset of canonical babbling, the preterm infants produced fewer vocalizations than the full-term infants and they reached the first word later than the full-term infants.

Feeding skill milestones of preterm infants born with extremely low birth weight (ELBW).

AIM: To compare the feeding development of preterm infants with that of full-term infants. PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen preterm infants with extremely low birth weight, and 11 healthy full-term infants. METHODS: Intensive follow-up study. Feeding situations were analyzed by NOMAS (Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment Scale) and by an oral motor patterns checklist based on video recorded sessions. RESULTS: Most of the preterm infants showed a disorganized sucking pattern and most of the full-term infants a normal sucking pattern, as long as suckling was present. However, the early suckling pattern did not predict the schedule of later feeding development. Preterm infants seemed to learn the various feeding skills at the same corrected ages as full-term infants, with the exception of munching, which they learned earlier than the full-term infants. However, the age range for gaining these skills was wider for the preterm infants. Preterm infants also seemed to have feeding problems more often than full-term infants when qualitative features of feeding were considered. Feeding was prolonged and messy, and the preterm infants were sensitive to different qualities of food. CONCLUSION: Feeding development of preterm and full-term infants is similar except for suckling, when only oral motor skills are concerned. When the qualitative characteristics of feeding are taken into account, the preterm infants suffer from feeding problems that create a risk for early interaction and communication.

Voice Activity and Participation Profile (VAPP) in assessing the effects of voice disorders on patients' quality of life: validity and reliability of the Finnish version of VAPP.

The Voice Activity and Participation Profile (VAPP) is a self-assessment questionnaire describing the limitation of activities and participation of individuals with dysphonia. In this study, the validity and reliability of the Finnish translation of the VAPP was evaluated using 43 outpatients with various functional and organic voice disorders. A control group was formed consisting of 43 subjects matched according to age, gender, and profession, with normal voices. The VAPP was sensitive for voice disorders and items in the questionnaire had high internal consistency. The VAPP had a strong correlation with the Voice Handicap Index. The results showed that the questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument to measure voice-related quality of life. It also showed that limitations in activity and participation levels should be examined separately.

Depression among caregivers of stroke survivors.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms among caregivers of stroke survivors and to determine which patient- or stroke-related factors are associated with and can be used to predict caregiver depression during an 18-month follow-up after stroke. METHODS: We examined 98 caregivers of 100 consecutive patients experiencing their first ischemic stroke in Helsinki University Central Hospital. The caregivers were interviewed at the acute phase and at 6 months and 18 months. Depression was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory. The neurological, functional, cognitive, and emotional status of the patients was assessed 5x during the follow-up with a comprehensive test battery. RESULTS: A total of 30% to 33% of all caregivers were depressed during the follow-up; the rates were higher than those of the patients. At the acute phase, caregiver depression was associated with stroke severity and older age of the patient, and at 18 months the older age of the patient was associated with depression of the spouses. In later follow-up, caregiver depression was best predicted by the caregiver's depression at acute phase. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying those caregivers at highest risk for poor emotional outcome in follow-up requires not only assessment of patient-related factors but also interview of the caregiver during the early poststroke period.

Poststroke depression: an 18-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This prospective study was designed to examine the course, associates, and predictors of depressive symptoms during the first 18 months after stroke. METHODS: A total of 100 patients were followed up for 18 months after stroke. Depressive symptoms were assessed at 2 weeks and 2, 6, 12, and 18 months after stroke with the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and diagnoses were performed using criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition-Revised. Stroke severity was assessed with the Scandinavian Stroke Scale and cognitive functions with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Patients participated in a randomized clinical trial of antidepressive medication. RESULTS: In all, 54% of patients felt at least mildly depressive at some time during the follow-up; 46% of those who were depressive during the first 2 months were also depressive at 12 and/or 18 months. Only 12% of patients were depressive for the first time at 12 or 18 months. The male sex was associated with a more negative change in depressive symptoms during the follow-up. Older age was associated with depressive symptoms during the first 2 months, stroke severity from 6 to 12 months, and the male sex at 18 months. Depressive symptoms were unrelated to the lesion location. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms are frequent and they often have a chronic course. Depression is associated with stroke severity and functional impairment, and with the male sex at 18 months. Attention should be focused on the long-term prognosis of mood disturbances and adaptation.

Complaints of poststroke insomnia and its treatment with mianserin.

We assessed the prevalence and associations of symptoms of insomnia in patients with acute ischemic stroke, and evaluated whether mianserin as a sedative antidepressant is beneficial in the treatment of poststroke insomnia. One hundred consecutively hospitalized patients were randomized to receive 60 mg/day of mianserin (n = 51) or placebo for 1 year in a double-blind trial with a 6-month follow-up after the therapy. Symptoms of insomnia were assessed with the three insomnia-related items of the Hamilton Depression Scale; patients were defined as insomniacs if any of these items was positive. Complaints of insomnia occurred in 68% of patients on admission, and in 49% at 18 months, and they were as frequent in all subgroups of patients. From 2 months, symptoms of insomnia were associated independently with depression. Living alone before stroke (at 0 and 2 months) and age (at 12 months) were other independent predictors of insomnia. The rate of recovery as evaluated by the insomnia score was more rapid in patients on mianserin than in those on placebo. At 2 months, the scores were significantly different favoring mianserin treatment (1.3 vs. 0.8, p = 0.02). We conclude that insomnia is a common complaint after ischemic stroke. Mianserin had a beneficial influence on the recovery from symptoms of insomnia, even though the intensity of poststroke depression was low.