Sharma Anu, Cormier Kayla, Grigsby Jim
Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, 2501 Kittredge Loop Dr. UCB 409, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, Campus Box 173, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217, USA.
Brain Sci. 2025 Jan 26;15(2):119. doi: 10.3390/brainsci15020119.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The cortical auditory evoked potential P1 response is a biomarker of cortical auditory maturation for tracking longitudinal cortical maturation in children with hearing loss after treatment with hearing aids and/or cochlear implants. In conjunction with hearing treatments, children with hearing loss commonly receive language therapy services. However, the effect of language therapy on cortical maturation in hearing loss is less well studied.
This study explored auditory cortical maturation changes, using the P1 response, with coinciding language changes, utilizing the Preschool Language Scales test, following approximately six months of supplemental listening and spoken language therapy services in 39 children with hearing aids or cochlear implants.
Following supplemental language therapy, P1 latencies significantly decreased in all children, at a rate found to be significantly faster than expected for typical maturation. Language scores also significantly improved beyond expected maturation effects and were correlated with P1 latencies following supplemental therapy. Overall, with approximately six months of therapy, the children in this study made significantly greater gains of 9 to 10 months in total language and expressive communication. A subgroup analysis revealed that children with cochlear implants showed significantly lower language scores than their chronological age following supplemental therapy, while children with hearing aids obtained language scores that were not significantly different to their chronological age at follow-up.
Overall, the results from this study showed that supplemental language therapy resulted in more typical auditory cortical maturation and improved language abilities and that the P1 CAEP response can objectively track neuroplastic changes in children as a function of language therapy provided in conjunction with hearing aids and CIs.
背景/目的：皮层听觉诱发电位P1反应是皮层听觉成熟的生物标志物，用于追踪听力损失儿童在使用助听器和/或人工耳蜗治疗后的纵向皮层成熟情况。除听力治疗外，听力损失儿童通常还接受语言治疗服务。然而，语言治疗对听力损失患者皮层成熟的影响研究较少。
本研究对39名佩戴助听器或人工耳蜗的儿童进行了约六个月的补充听力和口语语言治疗服务，利用P1反应探讨听觉皮层成熟变化，并同时利用《学前语言量表》测试观察语言变化情况。
补充语言治疗后，所有儿童的P1潜伏期均显著缩短，其缩短速度明显快于正常成熟预期。语言分数也显著提高，超出了预期的成熟效应，且与补充治疗后的P1潜伏期相关。总体而言，经过约六个月的治疗，本研究中的儿童在总语言能力和表达交流方面显著提高了9至10个月。亚组分析显示，补充治疗后，人工耳蜗植入儿童的语言分数显著低于其实际年龄，而佩戴助听器儿童的语言分数在随访时与实际年龄无显著差异。
总体而言，本研究结果表明，补充语言治疗可使听觉皮层成熟更趋正常，并提高语言能力，且P1皮层听觉诱发电位反应可客观追踪儿童因结合助听器和人工耳蜗植入提供的语言治疗而产生的神经可塑性变化。
