Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA.
Department of Medical Social Sciences and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Brain Lang. 2024 Oct;257:105462. doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105462. Epub 2024 Oct 1.
Few studies have examined neural correlates of late talking in toddlers, which could aid in understanding etiology and improving diagnosis of developmental language disorder (DLD). Greater frontal gamma activity has been linked to better language skills, but findings vary by risk for developmental disorders, and this has not been investigated in late talkers. This study examined whether frontal gamma power (30-50 Hz), from baseline-state electroencephalography (EEG), was related to DLD risk (categorical late talking status) and a continuous measure of expressive language in n = 124 toddlers. Frontal gamma power was significantly associated with late talker status when controlling for demographic factors and concurrent receptive language (β = 1.96, McFadden's Pseudo R = 0.21). Demographic factors and receptive language did not significantly moderate the association between frontal gamma power and late talker status. A continuous measure of expressive language ability was not significantly associated with gamma (r = -0.07). Findings suggest that frontal gamma power may be useful in discriminating between groups of children that differ in DLD risk, but not for expressive language along a continuous spectrum of ability.
很少有研究探讨过幼儿晚期说话延迟的神经相关性，这有助于了解发病机制，并改善发育性语言障碍（DLD）的诊断。额叶伽马活动增加与语言技能的提高有关，但在发育障碍风险方面的研究结果存在差异，而且在晚期说话者中尚未进行过这方面的研究。本研究通过对 n=124 名幼儿的静息态脑电图（EEG）的额叶伽马功率（30-50Hz）进行研究，以探讨其是否与 DLD 风险（即晚期说话者的分类状态）和表达性语言的连续测量值相关。控制人口统计学因素和同期接受性语言后，额叶伽马功率与晚期说话者状态显著相关（β=1.96，麦克法登伪 R=0.21）。人口统计学因素和接受性语言并不能显著调节额叶伽马功率与晚期说话者状态之间的关系。表达性语言能力的连续测量值与伽马值没有显著相关性（r=-0.07）。研究结果表明，额叶伽马功率在区分 DLD 风险不同的儿童群体方面可能有用，但对于连续能力谱上的表达性语言则不然。
