The Viability of the Frequency Following Response Characteristics for use as Biomarkers of Cognitive Therapeutics in Schizophrenia

Deficits in early auditory information processing contribute to cognitive and psychosocial disability; this has prompted development of interventions that target low-level auditory processing, which may alleviate these disabilities. The frequency following response (FFR) is a constellation of event-related potential and frequency characteristics that reflect the processing of simple acoustic stimuli at the level of the brainstem and ascending portions of the auditory pathway. While FFR is a promising candidate biomarker of response to auditory-based cognitive training interventions, the psychometric properties of FFR in schizophrenia patients have not been studied. Here we assessed the internal consistency characteristics and magnitude of group differences across 18 different FFR parameters to determine which, if any, of these parameters demonstrate adequate internal consistency for use in intervention studies. Electroencephalography from 40 schizophrenia patients and 40 nonpsychiatric comparison subjects was recorded during rapid presentation of an auditory speech stimulus (6,000 trials). Patients showed normal response amplitudes but longer latencies for most FFR peaks and lower signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) than healthy subjects. Analysis of amplitude and latency estimates of peaks, however, indicated a need for a substantial increase in task length to obtain internal consistency estimates above .80. In contrast, excellent internal consistency (> .95) was shown for FFR sustained responses. Only SNR scores reflecting the FFR sustained response yielded significant group differences and excellent internal consistency, suggesting that this measure is a viable candidate for use in clinical treatment studies. The present study highlights the use of internal consistency estimates of FFR to guide future intervention studies interested in individual differences among patients.

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Evaluation of the Frequency Following Response as a Predictive Biomarker of Response to Cognitive Training in Schizophrenia

10.31234/osf.io/d2wpx ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Peter E Clayson ◽

Juan L Molina ◽

Yash B. Joshi ◽

Michael L. Thomas ◽

Joyce Sprock ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Training ◽

Auditory Processing ◽

Predictive Biomarker ◽

Event Related Potential ◽

Face Validity ◽

Auditory Information ◽

Behavioral Measures ◽

Treatment As Usual ◽

Frequency Following Response ◽

Auditory Information Processing

Neurophysiological biomarkers of auditory processing show promise predicting outcomes following auditory-based targeted cognitive training (TCT) interventions in patients with schizophrenia, but the viability of the early frequency following response (FFR) as a biomarker has yet to be examined, despite its ecological and face validity for auditory-based interventions. FFR is an event-related potential (ERP) that reflects the earliest stages of auditory processing. We predicted that schizophrenia patients would show acute- and longer-term FFR malleability in the context of auditory-based TCT. Fifty-two schizophrenia patients were randomized to either TCT (n = 30) or treatment as usual (TAU; n = 22), and electroencephalography was recorded during rapid presentation of an auditory speech stimulus before treatment, after one hour of training, and after 30 hours of training. Patients in the TCT group did not show changes in FFR after training, but FFR measurements in the TAU group diminished over time. FFR was positively associated with performance on a measure of single word-in-noise perception in the TCT group, and with performance on a measure of sentence-in-noise perception in both TCT and TAU groups. Psychometric reliability analyses of FFR scores indicated high internal consistency but low test-rest reliability between sessions one hour and 12 weeks apart. While the present study did not find evidence of FFR malleability or utility in predicting response to auditory-based TCT, significant associations were observed between FFR measures and behavioral measures of speech discriminability. These findings support the dissociation between measures of speech discriminability along the hierarchy of cortical and subcortical early auditory information processing in schizophrenia.

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Comparison of Auditory, Language, Memory, and Attention Abilities in Children With and Without Listening Difficulties

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2020_aja-20-00018 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 710-727

Author(s):

Beula M. Magimairaj ◽

Naveen K. Nagaraj ◽

Alexander V. Sergeev ◽

Natalie J. Benafield

Keyword(s):

Auditory Processing ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Group Differences ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Short Term ◽

Significant Group ◽

Term Memory ◽

Memory And Attention ◽

Speed And Accuracy

Objectives School-age children with and without parent-reported listening difficulties (LiD) were compared on auditory processing, language, memory, and attention abilities. The objective was to extend what is known so far in the literature about children with LiD by using multiple measures and selective novel measures across the above areas. Design Twenty-six children who were reported by their parents as having LiD and 26 age-matched typically developing children completed clinical tests of auditory processing and multiple measures of language, attention, and memory. All children had normal-range pure-tone hearing thresholds bilaterally. Group differences were examined. Results In addition to significantly poorer speech-perception-in-noise scores, children with LiD had reduced speed and accuracy of word retrieval from long-term memory, poorer short-term memory, sentence recall, and inferencing ability. Statistically significant group differences were of moderate effect size; however, standard test scores of children with LiD were not clinically poor. No statistically significant group differences were observed in attention, working memory capacity, vocabulary, and nonverbal IQ. Conclusions Mild signal-to-noise ratio loss, as reflected by the group mean of children with LiD, supported the children's functional listening problems. In addition, children's relative weakness in select areas of language performance, short-term memory, and long-term memory lexical retrieval speed and accuracy added to previous research on evidence-based areas that need to be evaluated in children with LiD who almost always have heterogenous profiles. Importantly, the functional difficulties faced by children with LiD in relation to their test results indicated, to some extent, that commonly used assessments may not be adequately capturing the children's listening challenges. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12808607

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Divided-Attention and Directed-Attention Listening Modes in Children with Dichotic Deficits: An Event-Related Potential Study

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.18.1.4 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 18 (01) ◽

pp. 034-053 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Jeffrey Martin ◽

James Jerger ◽

Jyutika Mehta

Keyword(s):

Divided Attention ◽

Auditory Processing ◽

Dichotic Listening ◽

Event Related Potential ◽

The Other ◽

Control Group ◽

Auditory Information ◽

Directed Attention ◽

Late Positive Component ◽

Reference Probe

Dichotic listening (DL) procedures are commonly employed in the evaluation of auditory processing in children. Review of the various clinical tests reveals considerable diversity in both the signals employed and their mode of administration. The extent to which other non auditory-specific factors influence the test outcome is often difficult to determine. Individual differences in memory, attention, facility with test stimuli, and report strategy are always of potential concern in the interpretation of results.In the present study, we examined behavioral and electrophysiological (ERP) responses for 20 children during two DL tasks. Two groups of children were evaluated. One group was comprised of children who showed substantial ear differences on clinical measures of DL; the other group showed no such deficits and served as age-matched controls. In one of the DL tasks, participants monitored dichotic stimuli using the divided-attention (unfocused) mode. In the other DL task, a directed-attention (focused) mode was employed. Both tasks involved simple "same-different" judgments for real words presented in a basic reference-probe paradigm. We purposefully sought an easy DL task in order to minimize the number of extra-auditory factors influencing their performance. For control purposes, a diotic procedure involving the same stimuli was also included.Results showed that the amplitude of the elicited late-positive component (LPC) was smaller and prolonged in latency for the group of poor listeners as compared to the control group. This finding occurred only when dichotic stimuli were presented in the divided-attention mode. When participants directed their attention to a single side, or when listening in a diotic mode, the LPC for both groups was more similar. Group differences in the N400 component were apparent for both listening tasks. Results are discussed in relation to an inability of some children to inhibit processing of unattended auditory information. Implications for the clinical administration of dichotic listening tests are also discussed. Los procedimientos de Audición Dicótica (DL) son comúnmente empleados en la evaluación del procesamiento auditivo en niños. La revisión de varias pruebas clínicas revela una diversidad considerable tanto en las señales empleadas como en su modo de administración. En qué grado otros factores no específicos de la audición influyen en los resultados de las pruebas es a menudo difícil de determinar. Las diferencias individuales en memoria, atención, facilidad con los estímulos de la prueba y la estrategia de reporte, tienen siempre influencia potencial en la interpretación de los resultados. En el presente estudio, examinamos respuestas conductuales y electrofisiológicas (ERP) en 20 niños con dos tareas de DL. Se evaluaron dos grupos de niños. Un grupo estaba constituido por niños que mostraban diferencias sustanciales entre los oídos en las mediciones clínicas de la DL; el otro grupo no mostró tal déficit y sirvieron como controles pareados por edad. En una de las tareas de DL, los participantes monitorearon estímulos dicóticos utilizando el modo de atención dividida (no concentrada). En la otra tarea de DL, se empleó un modo de atención dirigida (concentrada). Ambas tareas involucraron juicios simples de "igual-diferente" para palabras reales presentadas en un paradigma de sondeo de diferencia básica. A propósito, buscamos una tarea de DL fácil, para minimizar el número de factores extra-auditivos que influían en el desempeño. Para propósitos de control, se incluyó también un procedimiento diótico que utilizara los mismos estímulos. Los resultados muestran que la amplitud del componente positivo tardío (LPC) generado era más pequeña y más prolongada en latencia para el grupo de oyentes pobres comparado con el grupo control. Este hallazgo tuvo lugar sólo cuando se presentaron estímulos dicóticos en el modo de atención dividida. Cuando los participantes dirigieron su atención a un sólo lado, o cuando escucharon en un modo diótico, el LPC para ambos grupos fue similar. Las diferencias de grupo en el componente N400 fueron aparentes para ambas tareas de audición. Se discuten los resultados en relación con la incapacidad de algunos niños de inhibir el procesamiento de información auditiva a la que no se le está prestando atención. Se discuten las implicaciones para la administración clínicas de pruebas de audición dicótica.

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Interactions among Variables in the P300 Response to a Continuous Performance Task in Normal and ADHD Adults

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.15.10.2 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

pp. 666-677 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

David L. McPherson ◽

Mimi T. Salamat

Keyword(s):

Event Related Potential ◽

Group Differences ◽

False Alarms ◽

Continuous Performance Task ◽

Significant Group ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Number Of False Alarms ◽

Auditory P300 ◽

History Of ◽

The Common

This study investigated the effect of variable interstimulus intervals (ISIs) in a group of normal and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) adults on behavioral reaction time and the auditory P300 event-related potential. This study involved 20 adult subjects with no history of ADHD and 11 adult subjects diagnosed with ADHD. The subjects were instructed to respond to the common stimuli and ignore the rare stimulus. Significant differences in the latency of the P300a, P300b, the amplitude of the P300b, and in the number of false alarms and correct rejections between ISIs were observed in the normal group. The group with ADHD failed to show any significant differences between ISIs. Psychophysical measures of hits showed significant differences for the number of hits for ISI 2 (2 sec) between the two groups. False alarms and correct rejections for all ISIs showed significant differences between groups. Significant group differences were seen for latency of the P300a and P300b at each of the three ISIs, for amplitude of the P300a and P300b for ISI 1 and ISI 3, and for the amplitude of the P300b for ISI 2. There was a greater separation in the group with ADHD between the P300a and P300b suggesting a processing lag in that group.

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Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials in Children with a Hearing Loss: A Pilot Study

International Journal of Pediatrics ◽

10.1155/2012/250254 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Amineh Koravand ◽

Benoît Jutras ◽

Maryse Lassonde

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Evoked Potentials ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Auditory Processing ◽

Auditory Evoked Potentials ◽

Group Differences ◽

Central Auditory Processing ◽

Significant Group ◽

Children With Hearing Loss ◽

Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials

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.

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Speech Evoked Auditory Brainstem Response in Stuttering

Scientifica ◽

10.1155/2014/328646 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Ali Akbar Tahaei ◽

Hassan Ashayeri ◽

Akram Pourbakht ◽

Mohammad Kamali

Keyword(s):

Auditory Processing ◽

Auditory Pathway ◽

Auditory Brainstem ◽

Auditory Brainstem Responses ◽

Control Group ◽

Central Auditory Processing ◽

Significant Group ◽

Speech Stimuli ◽

Brainstem Response ◽

Processing Deficits

Auditory processing deficits have been hypothesized as an underlying mechanism for stuttering. Previous studies have demonstrated abnormal responses in subjects with persistent developmental stuttering (PDS) at the higher level of the central auditory system using speech stimuli. Recently, the potential usefulness of speech evoked auditory brainstem responses in central auditory processing disorders has been emphasized. The current study used the speech evoked ABR to investigate the hypothesis that subjects with PDS have specific auditory perceptual dysfunction.Objectives. To determine whether brainstem responses to speech stimuli differ between PDS subjects and normal fluent speakers.Methods. Twenty-five subjects with PDS participated in this study. The speech-ABRs were elicited by the 5-formant synthesized syllable/da/, with duration of 40 ms.Results. There were significant group differences for the onset and offset transient peaks. Subjects with PDS had longer latencies for the onset and offset peaks relative to the control group.Conclusions. Subjects with PDS showed a deficient neural timing in the early stages of the auditory pathway consistent with temporal processing deficits and their abnormal timing may underlie to their disfluency.

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Processing of species-specific auditory patterns in the cricket brain by ascending, local, and descending neurons during standing and walking

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00416.2010 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 105 (5) ◽

pp. 2181-2194 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

M. Zorović ◽

B. Hedwig

Keyword(s):

Auditory Processing ◽

Auditory Pathway ◽

Spike Rate ◽

Auditory Information ◽

Auditory Responses ◽

Descending Neurons ◽

Clear Band ◽

Low Pass ◽

Band Pass ◽

Species Specific

The recognition of the male calling song is essential for phonotaxis in female crickets. We investigated the responses toward different models of song patterns by ascending, local, and descending neurons in the brain of standing and walking crickets. We describe results for two ascending, three local, and two descending interneurons. Characteristic dendritic and axonal arborizations of the local and descending neurons indicate a flow of auditory information from the ascending interneurons toward the lateral accessory lobes and point toward the relevance of this brain region for cricket phonotaxis. Two aspects of auditory processing were studied: the tuning of interneuron activity to pulse repetition rate and the precision of pattern copying. Whereas ascending neurons exhibited weak, low-pass properties, local neurons showed both low- and band-pass properties, and descending neurons represented clear band-pass filters. Accurate copying of single pulses was found at all three levels of the auditory pathway. Animals were walking on a trackball, which allowed an assessment of the effect that walking has on auditory processing. During walking, all neurons were additionally activated, and in most neurons, the spike rate was correlated to walking velocity. The number of spikes elicited by a chirp increased with walking only in ascending neurons, whereas the peak instantaneous spike rate of the auditory responses increased on all levels of the processing pathway. Extra spiking activity resulted in a somewhat degraded copying of the pulse pattern in most neurons.

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Sensory and Cognitive Components of Auditory Processing in Individuals With Tinnitus

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2019_aja-19-0011 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 834-842

Author(s):

Harini Vasudevan ◽

Hari Prakash Palaniswamy ◽

Ramaswamy Balakrishnan

Keyword(s):

Selective Attention ◽

Auditory Processing ◽

Function Analysis ◽

Event Related Potential ◽

Oscillatory Activity ◽

Default Mode ◽

Auditory Selective Attention ◽

Cognitive Components ◽

Mode Function ◽

Related Potentials

Purpose The main purpose of the study is to explore the auditory selective attention abilities (using event-related potentials) and the neuronal oscillatory activity in the default mode network sites (using electroencephalogram [EEG]) in individuals with tinnitus. Method Auditory selective attention was measured using P300, and the resting state EEG was assessed using the default mode function analysis. Ten individuals with continuous and bothersome tinnitus along with 10 age- and gender-matched control participants underwent event-related potential testing and 5 min of EEG recording (at wakeful rest). Results Individuals with tinnitus were observed to have larger N1 and P3 amplitudes along with prolonged P3 latency. The default mode function analysis revealed no significant oscillatory differences between the groups. Conclusion The current study shows changes in both the early sensory and late cognitive components of auditory processing. The change in the P3 component is suggestive of selective auditory attention deficit, and the sensory component (N1) suggests an altered bottom-up processing in individuals with tinnitus.

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Behavioral and emotional differences between children of divorce and children from intact families: Clinical significance and mediating processes *This study is part of a dissertation () supported from the German research community.

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024//1421-0185.61.1.5 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 61 (1) ◽

pp. 5-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Andreas Schick

Keyword(s):

Self Esteem ◽

Research Community ◽

Children Of Divorce ◽

Group Differences ◽

Significant Group ◽

Intact Families ◽

Divorce Adjustment ◽

Theoretical Assumptions ◽

German Research ◽

Clinically Significant

The following study is based on a sample of 241 9-13-year-old children (66 children from divorced parents, 175 children from non divorced parents). They were examined for differences regarding anxiety, self-esteem, different areas of competence, and degree of behavior problems. With a focus on the children’s experiences, the clinically significant differences were examined. Clinically significant differences, revealing more negative outcomes for the children of divorce, were only found for social anxiety and unstable performance. The frequency of clinical significant differences was independent of the length of time the parents had been separated. The perceived destructiveness of conflict between the parents one of four facets of interparental conflict in this study functioned as a central mediator of the statistically significant group differences. The children’s perception of the father’s social support was a less reliable indicator of variance. Further studies should try to make underlying theoretical assumptions about the effects of divorce more explicit, to distinguish clearly between mediating variables, and to investigate them with respect to specific divorce adjustment indicators.

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Response-Specific Scalp Distributions in Deception Detection and ERP Correlates of Psychopathic Personality Traits

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803.18.1.13 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 13-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Antoinette R. Miller ◽

J. Peter Rosenfeld

Keyword(s):

Deception Detection ◽

Event Related Potential ◽

Psychopathic Personality ◽

P300 Amplitude ◽

Group Differences ◽

Post Hoc Analysis ◽

P300 Component ◽

Psychopathic Personality Inventory ◽

Post Hoc ◽

First Time

Abstract University students were screened using items from the Psychopathic Personality Inventory and divided into high (n = 13) and low (n = 11) Psychopathic Personality Trait (PPT) groups. The P300 component of the event-related potential (ERP) was recorded as each group completed a two-block autobiographical oddball task, responding honestly during the first (Phone) block, in which oddball items were participants' home phone numbers, and then feigning amnesia in response to approximately 50% of items in the second (Birthday) block in which oddball items were participants' birthdates. Bootstrapping of peak-to-peak amplitudes correctly identified 100% of low PPT and 92% of high PPT participants as having intact recognition. Both groups demonstrated malingering-related P300 amplitude reduction. For the first time, P300 amplitude and topography differences were observed between honest and deceptive responses to Birthday items. No main between-group P300 effects resulted. Post-hoc analysis revealed between-group differences in a frontally located post-P300 component. Honest responses were associated with late frontal amplitudes larger than deceptive responses at frontal sites in the low PPT group only.

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