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Previous research on the perception of segmental features of languages has established a correlation between the phoneme inventory of a language and its speakers' perceptual abilities, as indexed by discrimination tasks and Mismatch Negativity (MMN). Building on this background, the current study elucidated the relationship between perceptual ability and tonal inventory by utilizing two tonal languages. Two groups of participants were included in the present experiment: Mandarin speakers and Hakka-Mandarin speakers. Onset latency analysis revealed a significant difference in the Mandarin syllable condition, with Hakka-Mandarin speakers demonstrating earlier MMN latency than Mandarin speakers. This suggests a more efficient auditory processing mechanism in Hakka-Mandarin speakers. Both groups, however, showed similar MMN latency in the Hakka syllable condition. The interaction between language background and syllable type indicates that other factors, such as syllable sonority, also influence MMN responses. These findings highlight the importance of considering multiple phonemic inventories and syllable characteristics in studies of tonal perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose Methods Results Conclusions This study was undertaken to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the 2010 European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society (EFNS/PNS) diagnostic criteria for multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) with those of the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AAEM).Sensitivity and specificity of the two sets of criteria were retrospectively evaluated in 53 patients with MMN and 280 controls with axonal peripheral neuropathy, inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Comparison of the utility of nerve conduction studies with different numbers of nerves examined was also assessed.The 2010 EFNS/PNS criteria had a sensitivity of 47% for definite MMN and 57% for probable/definite MMN, whereas the AAEM criteria had a sensitivity of 28% for definite MMN and 53% for probable/definite MMN. The sensitivity of the AAEM criteria was higher when utilizing area compared to amplitude reduction to define conduction block. Using supportive criteria, the sensitivity of the 2010 EFNS/PNS criteria for probable/definite MMN increased to 64%, and an additional 36% patients fulfilled the criteria (possible MMN). Specificity values for definite and probable/definite MMN were slightly higher with the AAEM criteria (100%) compared to the EFNS/PNS criteria (98.5% and 97%). Extended nerve conduction studies yielded slightly increased diagnostic sensitivity for both sets of criteria without significantly affecting specificity.In our patient populations, the 2010 EFNS/PNS criteria demonstrated higher sensitivity but slightly lower specificity compared to the AAEM criteria. Extended nerve conduction studies are advised to achieve slightly higher sensitivity while maintaining very high specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an event‐related potential component automatically elicited by events that violate predictions based on prior events. To elicit this component, researchers use stimulus repetition to induce predictions, and the MMN is obtained by subtracting the brain response to rare or unpredicted stimuli from that of frequent stimuli. Under the Predictive Processing framework, one increasingly popular interpretation of the mismatch response postulates that MMN represents a prediction error. In this context, the reduced MMN amplitude to auditory stimuli has been considered a potential biomarker of Schizophrenia, representing a reduced prediction error and the inability to update the mental model of the world based on the sensory signals. It is unclear, however, whether this amplitude reduction is specific for auditory events or if the visual MMN reveals a similar pattern in schizophrenia spectrum disorder. This review and meta‐analysis aimed to summarise the available literature on the vMMN in schizophrenia. A systematic literature search resulted in 10 eligible studies that resulted in a combined effect size of g = −.63, CI [−.86, −.41], reflecting lower vMMN amplitudes in patients. These results are in line with the findings in the auditory domain. This component offers certain advantages, such as less susceptibility to overlap with components generated by attentional demands. Future studies should use vMMN to explore abnormalities in the Predictive Processing framework in different stages and groups of the SSD and increase the knowledge in the search for biomarkers in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The auditory system has an amazing ability to rapidly encode auditory regularities. Evidence comes from the popular oddball paradigm, in which frequent (standard) sounds are occasionally exchanged for rare deviant sounds, which then elicit signs of prediction error based on their unexpectedness (e.g., MMN and P3a). Here, we examine the widely neglected characteristics of deviants being bearers of predictive information themselves; naive participants listened to sound sequences constructed according to a new, modified version of the oddball paradigm including two types of deviants that followed diametrically opposed rules: one deviant sound occurred mostly in pairs (repetition rule), the other deviant sound occurred mostly in isolation (non‐repetition rule). Due to this manipulation, the sound following a first deviant (either the same deviant or a standard) was either predictable or unpredictable based on its conditional probability associated with the preceding deviant sound. Our behavioral results from an active deviant detection task replicate previous findings that deviant repetition rules (based on conditional probability) can be extracted when behaviorally relevant. Our electrophysiological findings obtained in a passive listening setting indicate that conditional probability also translates into differential processing at the P3a level. However, MMN was confined to global deviants and was not sensitive to conditional probability. This suggests that higher‐level processing concerned with stimulus selection and/or evaluation (reflected in P3a) but not lower‐level sensory processing (reflected in MMN) considers rarely encountered rules. Our results indicate that processing at the level of sensory analysis (MMN) is foremost shaped by the frequency of rule encounters (global probability) rather than their precision (conditional probability). Yet, higher‐level processes (P3a) appear to be sensitive to conditional probability even when associated with rarely encountered deviants. Deviants are powerful tools to elicit prediction errors, yet our findings suggest that deviants can be relevant predictors themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic criteria, ancillary investigations and treatment response using real‐life data in multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) patients. Methods: Clinical and laboratory data were collected from 110 patients enrolled in the Italian MMN database through a structured questionnaire. Twenty‐six patients were excluded due to the unavailability of nerve conduction studies or the presence of clinical signs and symptoms and electrodiagnostic abnormalities inconsistent with the MMN diagnosis. Analyses were conducted on 73 patients with a confirmed MMN diagnosis and 11 patients who did not meet the diagnostic criteria. Results: The European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society (EFNS/PNS) diagnostic criteria were variably applied. AUTHOR:When applying the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine criteria, an additional 17% of patients fulfilled the criteria for probable/definite diagnosis whilst a further 9.5% missed the diagnosis. In 17% of the patients only compound muscle action potential amplitude, but not area, was measured and subsequently recorded in the database by the treating physician. Additional investigations, including anti‐GM1 immunoglobulin M antibodies, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, nerve ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, supported the diagnosis in 46%–83% of the patients. Anti‐GM1 immunoglobulin M antibodies and nerve ultrasound demonstrated the highest sensitivity. Additional tests were frequently performed outside the EFNS/PNS guideline recommendations. Conclusions: This study provides insights into the real‐world diagnostic and management strategies for MMN, highlighting the challenges in applying diagnostic criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the influence of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists on the mismatch negativity (MMN) components of event-related potentials (ERPs) in healthy subjects and explores whether NMDAR antagonists have different effects on MMN components under different types of antagonists, drug dosages, and deviant stimuli. We conducted a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from inception to August 1, 2023 for studies comparing the MMN components between the NMDAR antagonist intervention group and the control group (or baseline). All statistical analyses were performed using Stata version 12.0 software. Sixteen articles were included in the systematic review: 13 articles were included in the meta-analysis of MMN amplitudes, and seven articles were included in the meta-analysis of MMN latencies. The pooled analysis showed that NMDAR antagonists reduced MMN amplitudes [SMD (95% CI) = 0.32 (0.16, 0.47), P < 0.01, I2 = 47.3%, p < 0.01] and prolonged MMN latencies [SMD (95% CI) = 0.31 (0.13, 0.49), P = 0.16, I2 = 28.3%, p < 0.01]. The type of antagonist drug regulates the effect of NMDAR antagonists on MMN amplitudes. Different antagonists, doses of antagonists, and types of deviant stimuli can also have different effects on MMN. These findings indicate a correlation between NMDAR and MMN, which may provide a foundation for the application of ERP-MMN in the early identification of NMDAR encephalitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Hypothesis Individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have attenuated auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) responses, indicating impaired sensory information processing. Computational models of effective connectivity between brain areas underlying MMN responses show reduced connectivity between fronto-temporal areas in individuals with schizophrenia. Here we ask whether children at familial high risk (FHR) of developing a serious mental disorder show similar alterations. Study Design We recruited 67 children at FHR for schizophrenia, 47 children at FHR for bipolar disorder as well as 59 matched population-based controls from the Danish High Risk and Resilience study. The 11–12-year-old participants engaged in a classical auditory MMN paradigm with deviations in frequency, duration, or frequency and duration, while we recorded their EEG. We used dynamic causal modeling (DCM) to infer on the effective connectivity between brain areas underlying MMN. Study Results DCM yielded strong evidence for differences in effective connectivity among groups in connections from right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) to right superior temporal gyrus (STG), along with differences in intrinsic connectivity within primary auditory cortex (A1). Critically, the 2 high-risk groups differed in intrinsic connectivity in left STG and IFG as well as effective connectivity from right A1 to right STG. Results persisted even when controlling for past or present psychiatric diagnoses. Conclusions We provide novel evidence that connectivity underlying MMN responses in children at FHR for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is altered at the age of 11–12, echoing findings that have been found in individuals with manifest schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to assess cognitive function in children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) using mismatch negativity (MMN) potentials. Background Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a neurological condition that causes cognitive and behavioral problems. These complications were found to be affected by many factors including underlying neuropathology, age of onset, psychological issues, and therapeutic side effects that exacerbate pathophysiology of the condition. Subject and method In this case–control study, 44 children were involved and were divided into two groups: the study group involved 22 children with TLE, while the control group involved 22 normal children. Pure-tone audiometry, immittancemetry, and measurement of mismatch negativity (MMN) test were done for all subjects in this study. Results Latency of MMN was significantly increased, while the amplitude was significantly decreased in the study group compared to the control group. Abnormal MMN test was obtained in TLE patients. Conclusion Prolonged MMN latencies and decreased amplitudes in patients indicate impaired cognitive function in children with TLE compared with controls.

During the last trimester of gestation, fetuses and preterm neonates begin to respond to sensory stimulation and to discover the structure of their environment. Yet, neuronal migration is still ongoing. This late migration notably concerns the supra-granular layers neurons, which are believed to play a critical role in encoding predictions and detecting regularities. In order to gain a deeper understanding of how the brain processes and perceives regularities during this stage of development, we conducted a study in which we recorded event-related potentials (ERP) in 31-wGA preterm and full-term neonates exposed to alternating auditory sequences (e.g. “ba ga ba ga ba”), when the regularity of these sequences was violated by a repetition (e.g., ``ba ga ba ga ga''). We compared the ERPs in this case to those obtained when violating a simple repetition pattern (“ga ga ga ga ga” vs. “ga ga ga ga ba”). Our results indicated that both preterm and full-term neonates were able to detect violations of regularity in both types of sequences, indicating that as early as 31 weeks gestational age, human neonates are sensitive to the conditional statistics between successive auditory elements. Full-term neonates showed an early and similar mismatch response (MMR) in the repetition and alternating sequences. In contrast, 31-wGA neonates exhibited a two-component MMR. The first component which was only observed for simple sequences with repetition, corresponded to sensory adaptation. It was followed much later by a deviance-detection component that was observed for both alternation and repetition sequences. This pattern confirms that MMRs detected at the scalp may correspond to a dual cortical process and shows that deviance detection computed by higher-level regions accelerates dramatically with brain maturation during the last weeks of gestation to become indistinguishable from bottom-up sensory adaptation at term.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess cognitive function in children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) using mismatch negativity (MMN) potentials. Background: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a neurological condition that causes cognitive and behavioral problems. These complications were found to be affected by many factors including underlying neuropathology, age of onset, psychological issues, and therapeutic side effects that exacerbate pathophysiology of the condition. Subject and method: In this case–control study, 44 children were involved and were divided into two groups: the study group involved 22 children with TLE, while the control group involved 22 normal children. Pure-tone audiometry, immittancemetry, and measurement of mismatch negativity (MMN) test were done for all subjects in this study. Results: Latency of MMN was significantly increased, while the amplitude was significantly decreased in the study group compared to the control group. Abnormal MMN test was obtained in TLE patients. Conclusion: Prolonged MMN latencies and decreased amplitudes in patients indicate impaired cognitive function in children with TLE compared with controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Phonological Mapping Negativity (PMN) is an event-related potential component thought to index pre-lexical phonological processing. The response has long been considered distinct from the temporally-proximate Mismatch Negativity (MMN) – a distinction that primarily rests on the assumption that the PMN, unlike the MMN, cannot be elicited in inattentive contexts, thus implying differing underlying auditory-cortex mechanisms. Despite this, no study to date has established whether elicitation of an inattentive PMN response is possible. Here, we tested this assumption in two experiments during which participants heard phonological mismatches whilst engaging in a distractor task (experiment 1) or watching a film (experiment 2). Our results showed no consistent evidence for an inattentive PMN. Though attention may indeed serve to distinguish the two components, our results highlight consistent discrepancies in the temporal, topographical, and functional characteristics of the PMN that undermine efforts to establish its significance in the electrophysiological timeline of speech processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mismatch negativity (MMN) and P300 event-related potentials (ERPs) have been studied in relation to phoneme discrimination and categorization, respectively. Although the effects of aging and sex on pure-tone perception have been widely investigated using these ERPs, evidence relating to phoneme perception is scarce. The current study aimed to provide insight into the effects of aging and sex on phoneme discrimination and categorization, as measured through the MMN and P300. An inattentive and attentive oddball paradigm containing a phonemic articulation place contrast were administered during EEG registration in sixty healthy individuals (thirty males and females), of which an equal number of young (20–39 years), middle-aged (40–59 years) and elderly (60+ years) subjects were included. The amplitude, onset latency and topographical distribution of the MMN and P300 effect, as well as the amplitude of the P1-N1-P2 complex, were analyzed for age group and sex differences. With respect to aging, elderly subjects demonstrated a reduced MMN and P300 amplitude compared to the young group, whereas the scalp distribution of both components was unaffected. No aging effects on the P1-N1-P2 complex were found. In elderly individuals, the P300 was found to be delayed compared to the young group, while no such effect on MMN latency could be observed. No differences in MMN and P300 measures could be identified between males and females. Differential effects of aging were found on the MMN and P300, specifically in terms of latency, in relation to phoneme perception. In contrast, sex was found to scarcely affect both processes. • Phoneme discrimination and categorization can be measured by the MMN and P300 ERP. • MMN and P300 amplitude are reduced in elderly, but scalp topography is unaltered. • Aging affects efficiency of phoneme discrimination and categorization differently. • No sex effect on amplitude, onset latency or scalp distribution of the MMN and P300 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing theories suggest that moderate arousal improves selective attention, as would be expected in the context of competitive sports or sensation-seeking activities. Here we investigated how riding a motorcycle, an attention-demanding physical activity, affects sensory processing. To do so, we implemented the passive auditory oddball paradigm and measured the EEG response of participants as they rode a motorcycle, drove a car, and sat at rest. Specifically, we measured the N1 and mismatch negativity to auditory tones, as well as alpha power during periods of no tones. We investigated whether riding and driving modulated non-CNS metrics including heart rate and concentrations of the hormones epinephrine, cortisol, DHEA-S, and testosterone. While participants were riding, we found a decrease in N1 amplitude, increase in mismatch negativity, and decrease in relative alpha power, together suggesting enhancement of sensory processing and visual attention. Riding increased epinephrine levels, increased heart rate, and decreased the ratio of cortisol to DHEA-S. Together, these results suggest that riding increases focus, heightens the brain's passive monitoring of changes in the sensory environment, and alters HPA axis response. More generally, our findings suggest that selective attention and sensory monitoring seem to be separable neural processes.

Shaimaa E Kabil,1 Rania Abdelshafy,1 Ahmed Ismail Abbas Ahmed,1 Alhassan Mostafa Zahran,2 Mahmoud Attalah,2 Yossra Sallam,1 Aisha Ghanem Abd El Lateef3 1E. N. T Department, Faculty of Medicine Cairo, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 2Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine Cairo, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 3Psychiatric Department, Faculty of Medicine Cairo, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, EgyptCorrespondence: Shaimaa E Kabil, Email Shaimaa.kabil@azhar.edu.egObjective: Language disorders (LD) in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are highly variable and has a severe impact on the level of functioning in autistic children. Early diagnosis of these language disorders is essential for early interventions for children at risk. The electrophysiological measurements are considered valuable tools for determining language disabilities in children with ASD. This study aimed to study and compare ABR and MMN in autistic children with language disorders.Methods: This study included a group of typically developing children and a group of children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders and language disorders. Both groups were matching according to age and gender. After confirming bilateral normal peripheral hearing sensitivity, ABR was done and both absolute and interpeak wave latencies were correlated. MMN using frequency oddball paradigms were also obtained and correlated.Results: More abnormalities were reported in ABR test results in the form of delayed absolute latencies and prolonged interpeak intervals. Also, we reported prolonged latencies of MMN. Consequently, both ABR and MMN are complementary test in evaluating autistic children with language disorders.Conclusion: Our results support the hypothesis of remarkable dysfunction in basic auditory sound processing that may impact the linguistic development of autistic children.Keywords: Autism spectrum disorders, Language Disorders, Auditory brain stem response, Mismatch negativity

Multifocal motor neuropathy is a rare motor neuron disease characterised by a progressive, gradual loss of muscle strength, although sensory functions are preserved. The worldwide frequency of this disease is estimated at 1 person per 100,000 people. MMN is diagnosed when there are characteristic clinical signs, electroneuromyography test results support the clinical findings, and other possible diagnoses are excluded. To prove the progressive course of the disease, the patient must be under long-term medical supervision, since the deteriorating state of the patient may imitate other diseases affecting the motor neuron, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, spinal muscular atrophy, and other. We present the clinical case of a 71-year-old patient who presented to the Neurology Department of the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos. She complained of pain in her right hip and progressing weakness of the right foot which had lasted for a year. After laboratory tests, long-term supervision, and exclusion of other diagnoses, the patient was diagnosed with an atypical type of multifocal motor neuropathy responsive to treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin.

Background: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) are inflammatory neuropathies that can lead to considerable limitations in daily activities and in social participation. However, systematic evaluation of these self‐reported limitations is lacking in the currently available studies. Understanding the impact of these diagnoses on patients' life is important to optimize management strategies. Aim: To systematically assess the self‐reported limitations in activities and participation and determine associated factors. Methods: A survey study was conducted in 2021 in a cohort of patients with CIDP (n = 257) and MMN (n = 148) from a university hospital. The survey included the Rasch‐built Overall Disability Scale and the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation‐Participation, questions addressing personal and disease‐related factors and treatment. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to determine associations with disease‐related and personal factors. Results: A total of 147 CIDP and 103 MMN patients responded. Limitations in activities were reported by 70.7% CIDP and 52.2% MMN patients with moderate to severe limitations in 22.4% and 5.9% patients, respectively. Participation restrictions were reported by 50% of CIDP and 40% of MMN patients, nevertheless satisfaction with participation was high. Fatigue, pain and resilience were independently associated with limitations in activities and satisfaction with participation in CIDP patients. Conclusions: Activity limitations and restrictions in participation are common in CIDP patients and to a lesser extent in MMN patients. Fatigue, pain and resilience independently contributed to perceived limitations in CIDP patients. Referral to a rehabilitation physician is warranted to address these limitations appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Tinnitus is a very common health problem and is reported in all age groups. The ability to objectively assess tinnitus complaints could provide significant benefits to treat or prevent its progress. In this study, we aimed to identify reliable electrophysiological biomarkers for tinnitus comparing by auditory evoked potential (AEPs), auditory event related potentials (AERPs), and mismatch negativity (MMN) responses between patients with tinnitus and healthy controls. Materials and Methods: This study included ten subjects with tinnitus and ten age and sex-matched healthy controls. All participants gave informed consent forms and were evaluated through basic audiology evaluation, the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory for a structured diagnostic interview and tinnitus severity, and electrophysiological tests. Electrophysiological data were collected from 32 surface scalp electrodes using different frequencies of stimulus for AEPs and the oddball paradigm for AERPs and MMN. Results: The components of AEPs for auditory stimulus with different frequencies, the components of AERPs for standard (StbD) and deviant (Dev) tones, and the difference wave (MMN) were compared between the two groups. Neither AEPs components in auditory stimulus with different frequencies, nor the AERPs components for StbD and Dev tones were affected by tinnitus (p>0.05 for all comparisons). However, the MMN amplitude was significantly decreased in the tinnitus group compared to the control group on the left front (p<0.001), right front (p<0.01), and left back (p<0.01) brain regions, while no significant changes were observed in MMN latency between the two groups. Conclusion: Our results indicate that tinnitus leads to a deficit in the neural networks of the auditory sensory memory, and the MMN amplitude may serve as an objective biomarker for assessing tinnitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qian-Hui Wen,1,2,&ast; Yang Liu,1,&ast; Hu-Dan Chen,3,&ast; Jun-Lin Wu,3 Li-Jun Liang,2 Wen-Zhi He,2 Yao Wang,2 Guo-Ping Huang1,2 1Department of Neurosurgery, The Third Hospital of Mianyang, Sichuan Mental Health Center, Mianyang, People’s Republic of China; 2Faculty of Psychiatry and Mental Health, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Psychiatry, The Third Hospital of Mianyang, Sichuan Mental Health Center, Mianyang, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Guo-Ping Huang, Email cahuanggp@163.comPurpose: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most common psychiatric sequelae of stroke. Numerous studies revealed that event-related potentials (ERP) can reflect depression severity to a certain extent, while there is almost no research on depression after hemorrhagic stroke. Therefore, we employed a prospective cross-sectional study to explore the relationship between ERP and depression after hemorrhagic stroke.Methods: A total of 74 patients with intracranial hemorrhage were included in this study. Neurological deficits were evaluated using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission. Depression severity and cognitive impairment were measured using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) and the Chinese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) after two weeks of treatment. All patients were conducted auditory Oddball paradigm for event-related potential mismatch negativity (MMN) and P300.Results: In total, 36 patients were diagnosed with PSD at the two weeks of treatment, for a percentage of 48.6%. Depression severity of ICH patients correlated positively with both the latency of MMN (r = 0.376, P = 0.001) and P300 (r = 0.325, P = 0.005), and correlated negatively with both the amplitude of MMN (r=− 0.385, P = 0.001) and P300 (r=− 0.311, P = 0.007). Depression severity was negatively correlated with cognitive function after hemorrhagic stroke (r=− 0.347, P = 0.002).Conclusion: The latency and amplitude of MMN and P300 can well reflect the degree of depression after hemorrhagic stroke, which may help in the early diagnosis and effective treatment of PSD.Keywords: post-stroke depression, hemorrhagic stroke, event-related potential, MMN, P300

[Display omitted] • MMN measurements predict individual cochlear implant (CI) users' behavioral music perception. • MMN is detected in fewer CI users when sound deviants are of smaller magnitude. • New spike density component analysis method enables more accurate diagnostics than preceding state-of-the-art. Ninety percent of cochlear implant (CI) users are interested in improving their music perception. However, only few objective behavioral and neurophysiological tests have been developed for tracing the development of music discrimination skills in CI users. In this study, we aimed to obtain an accurate individual mismatch negativity (MMN) marker that could predict behavioral auditory discrimination thresholds. We measured the individual MMN response to four magnitudes of deviations in four different musical features (intensity, pitch, timbre, and rhythm) in a rare sample of experienced CI users and a control sample of normally hearing participants. We applied a recently developed spike density component analysis (SCA), which can suppress confounding alpha waves, and contrasted it with previously proposed methods. Statistically detected individual MMN predicted attentive sound discrimination ability with high accuracy: for CI users 89.2% (278/312 cases) and for controls 90.5% (384/424 cases). As expected, MMN was detected for fewer CI users when the sound deviants were of smaller magnitude. The findings support the use of MMN responses in individual CI users as a diagnostic tool for testing music perception. For CI users, the new SCA method provided more accurate and replicable diagnostic detections than preceding state-of-the-art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cognitive operations including pre-attentive sensory processing are markedly impaired in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) but evidence significant interindividual heterogeneity, which moderates treatment response with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonists. Previous studies in healthy volunteers have shown baseline-dependency effects of the α7 nAChR agonist cytidine 5′-diphosphocholine (CDP-choline) administered alone and in combination with a nicotinic allosteric modulator (galantamine) on auditory deviance detection measured with the mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potential (ERP). Aim: The objective of this pilot study was to assess the acute effect of this combined α7 nAChR-targeted treatment (CDP-choline/galantamine) on speech MMN in patients with SCZ (N = 24) stratified by baseline MMN responses into low, medium, and high baseline auditory deviance detection subgroups. Methods: Patients with a stable diagnosis of SCZ attended two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and counter-balanced testing sessions where they received a placebo or a CDP-choline (500 mg) and galantamine (16 mg) treatment. MMN ERPs were recorded during the presentation of a fast multi-feature speech MMN paradigm including five speech deviants. Clinical measures were acquired before and after treatment administration. Results: While no main treatment effect was observed, CDP-choline/galantamine significantly increased MMN amplitudes to frequency, duration, and vowel speech deviants in low group individuals. Individuals with higher positive and negative symptom scale negative, general, and total scores expressed the greatest MMN amplitude improvement following CDP-choline/galantamine. Conclusions: These baseline-dependent nicotinic effects on early auditory information processing warrant different dosage and repeated administration assessments in patients with low baseline deviance detection levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EEG methods offer a promising approach to study the development of attention or attention‐related processes such as change‐detection and attentional capture. However, the development of these attention processes from early to middle childhood is not well understood. In the current study, we utilized a passive three‐stimulus oddball paradigm to examine age‐related changes in auditory change‐detection and attentional capture in a large sample of children across childhood (N = 475; 249 female, 226 male; Mage = 6.71; SDage = 2.22; Rangeage = 4.01–11.5 years). Conventional ERP analyses revealed no age‐related changes in change detection (mismatch negativity) and attentional capture (P3a) components, but we observed age‐related reductions in late automatic processing of auditory change (late discriminative negativity). However, when utilizing time‐frequency analyses, we observed developmental increases in frontocentral signal strength (power) and consistency (inter‐trial phase synchrony) in delta and theta bands in response to novel sounds. Such frontocentral delta/theta responses have been linked in prior work to cognitive control. To further examine this possibility, we examined relations with inhibitory control. Results revealed that increased consistency in theta in response to novel sounds was related to improved inhibitory control. Together, our results advance our understanding of the development of attention in childhood. Moreover, they demonstrate the contributions of time‐frequency approaches to studying neurocognitive development. Finally, our results highlight the utility of neuroimaging paradigms that have low cognitive and motor demands to study the development of psychological processes. We examined age‐related differences in the auditory attention processes of change‐detection and orienting across childhood. ERP analyses revealed few age‐related changes. In contrast, time‐frequency analyses showed increases in frontocentral signal strength and consistency in delta and theta bands. Moreover, time‐frequency measures, but not ERPs, were related to improved inhibitory control, suggesting that these measures of auditory attention might be related to top‐down processes. Our findings demonstrate the contributions of time‐frequency approaches to studying neurocognitive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous electroencephalography studies have yielded evidence for automatic processing of syntax and lexical stress. However, these studies looked at both effects in isolation, limiting their generalizability to everyday language comprehension. In the current study, we investigated automatic processing of grammatical agreement in the face of variation in lexical stress. Using an oddball paradigm, we measured the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) in Dutch-speaking participants while they listened to Dutch subject–verb sequences (linguistic context) or acoustically similar sequences in which the subject was replaced by filtered noise (nonlinguistic context). The verb forms differed in the inflectional suffix, rendering the subject–verb sequences grammatically correct or incorrect, and leading to a difference in the stress pattern of the verb forms. We found that the MMNs were modulated in both the linguistic and nonlinguistic condition, suggesting that the processing load induced by variation in lexical stress can hinder early automatic processing of grammatical agreement. However, as the morphological differences between the verb forms correlated with differences in number of syllables, an interpretation in terms of the prosodic structure of the sequences cannot be ruled out. Future research is needed to determine which of these factors (i.e., lexical stress, syllabic structure) most strongly modulate early syntactic processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionInfancy is a stage characterized by multiple brain and cognitive changes. In a short time, infants must consolidate a new brain network and develop two important properties for speech comprehension: phonemic normalization and categorical perception. Recent studies have described diet as an essential factor in normal language development, reporting that breastfed infants show an earlier brain maturity and thus a faster cognitive development. Few studies have described a long-term effect of diet on phonological perception.MethodsTo explore that effect, we compared the event-related potentials (ERPs) collected during an oddball paradigm (frequent /pa/80%, deviant/ba/20%) of infants fed with breast milk (BF), cow-milk-based formula (MF), and soy-based formula (SF), which were assessed at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months of age [Mean across all age groups: 127 BF infants, Mean (M) 39.6 gestation weeks; 121 MF infants, M = 39.16 gestation weeks; 116 SF infants, M = 39.16 gestation weeks].ResultsBehavioral differences between dietary groups in acoustic comprehension were observed at 24-months of age. The BF group displayed greater scores than the MF and SF groups. In phonological discrimination task, the ERPs analyses showed that SF group had an electrophysiological pattern associated with difficulties in phonological-stimulus awareness [mismatch negativity (MMN)-2 latency in frontal left regions of interest (ROI) and longer MMN-2 latency in temporal right ROI] and less brain maturity than BF and MF groups. The SF group displayed more right-lateralized brain recruitment in phonological processing at 12-months old.DiscussionWe conclude that using soy-based formula in a prolonged and frequent manner might trigger a language development different from that observed in the BF or MF groups. The soy-based formula’s composition might affect frontal left-brain area development, which is a nodal brain region in phonological-stimuli awareness.

The past tense inflection has been a popular phenomenon to study the representational status of morphologically complex words. While several experiments in the processing of past tense verbs across languages have shown these verbs are stored via their constituent morphemes, experiments in the processing of the Dutch past tense indicate that these words are lexically stored in their surface form and therefore not decomposed. However, the experiments in Dutch past tense processing have not made use of experimental paradigms that can tap the earliest stages of word processing, where some theories predict decomposition would take place. We used the mismatch negativity response to study the representational status of monomorphemic and morphologically complex Dutch words. We were able to obtain different responses for monomorphemic and morphologically complex words, suggesting these are processed by different mechanisms. We cannot, however, discard the possibility that some past tense forms in Dutch do have surface form representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 40% of patients with multifocal motor neuropathy had anti-GM1 IgM antibodies, while only 1 out of 88 patients had anti-GM1 IgG antibodies. Unlike its predominantly demyelinating IgM counterpart, the anti-GM1 IgG antibody is often seen in the axonal variant of Guillain Barre syndrome. As it affects axons, it is also associated with worse prognosis. We report here a 58-year-old woman who was admitted for 3 months history of progressive asymmetric weakness, initially involving the right-hand extensors, eventually affecting the contralateral side and the lower extremities. The electrodiagnostic examination revealed multifocal pure motor demyelinating neuropathy with severe axonal loss. On nerve ultrasound, the axons were small in non-compressive areas. The extremely elevated anti-GM1 IgM titer (1:51,200, nv<1:800) was consistent with the diagnosis of MMN. Her anti-GM1 IgG antibodies (1: 12,800, nv<1:800) was also elevated. In conclusion, the presence of concomitant anti-GM IgG and anti-GM1 IgM may lead to an MMN with more severe axonal loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can preferred music listening improve following attentional and learning performances? Here we suggest that this may be the case. In Experiment 1, following preferred and non-preferred musical-piece listening, we recorded electrophysiological responses to an auditory roving-paradigm. We computed the mismatch negativity (MMN – the difference between responses to novel and repeated stimulation), as an index of perceptual learning, and we measured the correlation between trial-by-trial EEG responses and the fluctuations in Bayesian Surprise, as a quantification of the neural attunement with stimulus informational value. Furthermore, during music listening, we recorded oscillatory cortical activity. MMN and trial-by-trial correlation with Bayesian surprise were significantly larger after subjectively preferred versus non-preferred music, indicating the enhancement of perceptual learning. The analysis on oscillatory activity during music listening showed a selective alpha power increased in response to preferred music, an effect often related to cognitive enhancements. In Experiment 2, we explored whether this learning improvement was realized at the expense of self-focused attention. Therefore, after preferred versus non-preferred music listening, we collected Heart-Beat Detection (HBD) accuracy, as a measure of the attentional focus toward the self. HBD was significantly lowered following preferred music listening. Overall, our results suggest the presence of a specific neural mechanism that, in response to aesthetically pleasing stimuli, and through the modulation of alpha oscillatory activity, redirects neural resources away from the self and toward the environment. This attentional up-weighting of external stimuli might be fruitfully exploited in a wide area of human learning activities, including education, neurorehabilitation and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Down's syndrome is associated with pathological ageing and a propensity for early‐onset Alzheimer's disease. The early symptoms of dementia in people with Down's syndrome may reflect frontal lobe vulnerability to amyloid deposition. Auditory predictive processes rely on the bilateral auditory cortices with the recruitment of frontal cortices and appear to be impaired in pathologies characterized by compromised frontal lobe. Hence, auditory predictive processes were investigated to assess Down's syndrome pathology and its relationship with pathological ageing. An auditory electroencephalography (EEG) global–local paradigm was presented to the participants, in which oddball stimuli could either violate local or higher level global rules. We characterised predictive processes in individuals with Down's syndrome and their relationship with pathological ageing, with a focus on the EEG event‐related potential called Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and the P300. In Down's syndrome, we also evaluated the EEG components as predictor of cognitive decline 1 year later. We found that predictive processes of detection of auditory violations are overall preserved in Down's syndrome but also that the amplitude of the MMN to local deviancies decreases with age. However, the 1‐year follow‐up of Down's syndrome found that none of the ERPs measures predicted subsequent cognitive decline. The present study provides a novel characterization of electrophysiological markers of local and global predictive processes in Down's syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Introduction Vortioxetine has a positive effect on cognitive function in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aimed to examine the changes in cognitive function and EEG (spectral power and mismatch negativity (MMN)) in patients with MDD pre‐ and postvortioxetine treatment. Methods Thirty patients with MDD were included in the study. They were given vortioxetine (10‐20mg po per day) for eight weeks. Depression and anxiety severities, social function (Korean version of the social adjustment scale (K‐SAS)), and cognitive function (digit‐symbol substitution Test (DSST), Korean version of the attentional control questionnaire (K‐ACQ), and Korean version of the perceived deficits questionnaire for depression (K‐PDQD)) were evaluated. Spectral power of EEG and MMN was also measured pre‐ and postvortioxetine treatment. Results Depression and anxiety severity, social function, and cognitive functioning significantly improved after vortioxetine treatment. Also, there was a significant decrease in the right central delta band and an increase in the right central beta 2 band following vortioxetine treatment. The changes in EEG spectral power were not related to changes in cognitive functions. Baseline MMN significantly predicted changes in DSST score after controlling for the baseline clinical variables. Conclusion Vortioxetine treatment improved cognitive function and induced changes in EEG (decreased theta power and increased beta power) in patients with MDD. Our results suggest that greater negative MMN amplitude is associated with greater potential for cognitive improvement following vortioxetine treatment.

Cognitive deficits are predictive of long-term social and occupational functional deficits in schizophrenia but are currently without gold-standard treatments. In particular, augmentation of auditory cortical neuroplasticity may represent a rate-limiting first step before addressing higher-order cognitive deficits. We review the rationale for N-methyl-d-aspartate-type glutamate receptor (NMDAR) modulators as treatments for auditory plasticity deficits in schizophrenia, along with potential serum and electroencephalographic target engagement biomarkers for NMDAR function. Several recently published NMDAR-modulating treatment studies are covered, involving D-serine, memantine, and transcranial direct current stimulation. While all three interventions appear to modulate auditory plasticity, direct agonists (D-serine) appear to have the largest and most consistent effects on plasticity, at least acutely. We hypothesize that there may be synergistic effects of combining procognitive NMDAR-modulating approaches with auditory cortical neuroplasticity cognitive training interventions. Future studies should assess biomarkers for target engagement and patient stratification, along with head-to-head studies comparing putative interventions and potential long-term versus acute effects.

Detection of regularities and their violations in sensory input is key to perception. Violations are indexed by an early EEG component called the mismatch negativity (MMN) – even if participants are distracted or unaware of the stimuli. On a mechanistic level, two dominant models have been suggested to contribute to the MMN: adaptation and prediction. Whether and how context conditions, such as awareness and task relevance, modulate the mechanisms of MMN generation is unknown. We conducted an EEG study disentangling influences of task relevance and awareness on the visual MMN. Then, we estimated different computational models for the generation of single-trial amplitudes in the MMN time window. Amplitudes were best explained by a prediction error model when stimuli were task-relevant but by an adaptation model when task-irrelevant and unaware. Thus, mismatch generation does not rely on one predominant mechanism but mechanisms vary with task relevance of stimuli.

Multifocal motor neuropathy is a rare motor neuron disease characterised by a progressive, gradual loss of muscle strength, although sensory functions are preserved. The worldwide frequency of this disease is estimated at 1 person per 100,000 people. MMN is diagnosed when there are characteristic clinical signs, electroneuromyography test results support the clinical findings, and other possible diagnoses are excluded. To prove the progressive course of the disease, the patient must be under long-term medical supervision, since the deteriorating state of the patient may imitate other diseases affecting the motor neuron, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, spinal muscular atrophy, and other. We present the clinical case of a 71-year-old patient who presented to the Neurology Department of the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos. She complained of pain in her right hip and progressing weakness of the right foot which had lasted for a year. After laboratory tests, long-term supervision, and exclusion of other diagnoses, the patient was diagnosed with an atypical type of multifocal motor neuropathy responsive to treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study investigated the mental health burden of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) or multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to matched healthy controls. Methods: The cross-sectional study included 59 patients with a diagnosis of either CIDP or MMN and 59 propensity score matched healthy controls. All participants completed a survey including demographics, distress (distress thermometer), depressive symptoms (PHQ-2), generalized anxiety (GAD-7), COVID-19-related fear, and risk perception. Additionally, patients with CIDP or MMN were asked about the frequency and type of infections since treatment initiation. Results: Patients with either CIDP or MMN reported experiencing reduced frequency or no differences in infection frequency since immune medication was initiated. Regarding COVID-19, patients with CIDP or MMN rated their risk of infection similar to healthy controls, while they expected a higher probability of the occurrence of symptoms, severe course, and dying of COVID-19. They reported increased depressive symptoms, generalized anxiety, and COVID-19-related fear in comparison to healthy controls. Conclusion: Despite their personal experience of reduced frequency of infection since immune medication was initiated, patients with CIDP or MMN reported increased risk perception and prevalence of depressive symptoms, generalized anxiety, and COVID-19-related fear in comparison to healthy controls. This highlights the need for evidence-driven strategies to protect the mental health of this vulnerable group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated whether listeners can form abstract voice representations while ignoring constantly changing phonological information and if they can use the resulting information to facilitate voice change detection. Further, the study aimed at understanding whether the use of abstraction is restricted to the speech domain or can be deployed also in non‐speech contexts. We ran an electroencephalogram (EEG) experiment including one passive and one active oddball task, each featuring a speech and a rotated speech condition. In the speech condition, participants heard constantly changing vowels uttered by a male speaker (standard stimuli) which were infrequently replaced by vowels uttered by a female speaker with higher pitch (deviant stimuli). In the rotated speech condition, participants heard rotated vowels, in which the natural formant structure of speech was disrupted. In the passive task, the mismatch negativity was elicited after the presentation of the deviant voice in both conditions, indicating that listeners could successfully group together different stimuli into a formant‐invariant voice representation. In the active task, participants showed shorter reaction times (RTs), higher accuracy and a larger P3b in the speech condition with respect to the rotated speech condition. Results showed that whereas at a pre‐attentive level the cognitive system can track pitch regularities while presumably ignoring constantly changing formant information both in speech and in rotated speech, at an attentive level the use of such information is facilitated for speech. This facilitation was also testified by a stronger synchronisation in the theta band (4–7 Hz), potentially pointing towards differences in encoding/retrieval processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A substantial number of patients with chronic immune mediated neuropathy are refractory to first line therapy. • The selective B-cell depleting therapy Rituximab has potential in the treatment of these patients. • Rituximab was effective in 63% of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, 48% of anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein neuropathy, and 96% of autoimmune nodopathy patients included in our review. • The quality of evidence assessing the use of Rituximab in these disorders is poor. Chronic immune mediated neuropathy is a heterogenous group of peripheral nerve diseases, encompassing chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), autoimmune nodopathy, multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), and anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) neuropathy. Rituximab (RTX) is a chimeric monoclonal antibody targeting the CD20 antigen, which has been used in the treatment of autoimmune neuropathies, although the efficacy of RTX remains unclear. A literature search was performed using Medline, Embase and Cochrane Register for studies between 2000 and 2021 using the search terms "Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy" OR "Multifocal motor neuropathy" OR "Myelin associated glycoprotein" OR "Distal acquired demyelinating neuropathy" OR "Multifocal acquired demyelinating sensory and motor neuropathy" OR "demyelinating neuropathy" AND "Rituximab". Twenty-three studies were included, of which two were randomised controlled trials, 6 prospective studies and 15 retrospective studies. RTX was effective in 63% of CIDP patients, 48% of anti-MAG neuropathy, and 96% of patients with autoimmune nodopathy. Neurophysiological improvement was evident in 58% of CIDP and 40% of anti-MAG neuropathy patients. Low rates of serious adverse events (2.6%) were observed. These results indicate that RTX has potential as a treatment in immune mediated polyneuropathy, although the quality of evidence supporting its use it poor. Randomized controlled trials are required to reliably establish the efficacy and safety of RTX. Trial registration number: CRD42020179666. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is accompanied by difficulties in auditory information processing, especially in more complex sound environments. Choir singing requires efficient processing of multiple sound features and could, therefore, mitigate the detrimental effects of aging on complex auditory encoding. We recorded auditory event‐related potentials during passive listening of sounds in healthy older adult (≥ 60 years) choir singers and nonsinger controls. We conducted a complex oddball condition involving encoding of abstract regularities in combinations of pitch and location features, as well as in two simple oddball conditions, in which only either the pitch or spatial location of the sounds was varied. We analyzed change‐related mismatch negativity (MMN) and obligatory P1 and N1 responses in each condition. In the complex condition, the choir singers showed a larger MMN than the controls, which also correlated with better performance in a verbal fluency test. In the simple pitch and location conditions, the choir singers had smaller N1 responses compared to the control subjects, whereas the MMN responses did not differ between groups. These results suggest that regular choir singing is associated both with more enhanced encoding of complex auditory regularities and more effective adaptation to simple sound features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bayesian models of autism suggest that alterations in context‐sensitive prediction error weighting may underpin sensory perceptual alterations, such as hypersensitivities. We used an auditory oddball paradigm with pure tones arising from high or low uncertainty contexts to determine whether autistic individuals display differences in context adjustment relative to neurotypicals. We did not find group differences in early prediction error responses indexed by mismatch negativity. A dimensional approach revealed a positive correlation between context‐dependent prediction errors and subjective reports of auditory sensitivities, but not with autistic traits. These findings suggest that autism studies may benefit from accounting for sensory sensitivities in group comparisons. Lay Summary: We aimed to understand if autistic and non‐autistic groups showed differences in their electrical brain activity measured by electroencephalography (EEG) when listening to surprising tones infrequently embedded in a statistical pattern. We found no differences between the autistic and the non‐autistic group in their EEG response to the surprising sound even if the pattern switched, indicating their ability to learn a pattern. We did find that, as subjective sensory sensitivities (but not autistic traits) increased, there were increasingly large differences between the EEG responses to surprising tones that were embedded in the different statistical patterns of tones. These findings show that perceptual alterations may be a function of sensory sensitivities, but not necessarily autistic traits. We suggest that future EEG studies in autism may benefit from accounting for sensory sensitivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on the perception of segmental features of languages has established a correlation between the phoneme inventory of a language and its speakers' perceptual abilities, as indexed by discrimination tasks and Mismatch Negativity (MMN). Building on this background, the current study elucidated the relationship between perceptual ability and tonal inventory by utilizing two tonal languages. Two groups of participants were included in the present experiment: Mandarin speakers and Hakka-Mandarin speakers. Onset latency analysis revealed a significant difference in the Mandarin syllable condition, with Hakka-Mandarin speakers demonstrating earlier MMN latency than Mandarin speakers. This suggests a more efficient auditory processing mechanism in Hakka-Mandarin speakers. Both groups, however, showed similar MMN latency in the Hakka syllable condition. The interaction between language background and syllable type indicates that other factors, such as syllable sonority, also influence MMN responses. These findings highlight the importance of considering multiple phonemic inventories and syllable characteristics in studies of tonal perception., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Hsu, Cheong and Huang.)

Over the past decade, there has been extensive research on the mismatch negativity (MMN) and its promise as a biomarker of illness in people with schizophrenia (SZ). Nevertheless, when attempting to assess the early stages of illness progression, the utility of MMN has been inconsistent. Recently, researchers have been investigating a more advanced MMN paradigm (the complex MMN [cMMN]) which is believed to index higher-order cognitive processing and has been suggested to be a more effective indicator of the early phases of SZ. The cMMN is defined as a paradigm that relies on alterations within a pre-established pattern of stimuli. In this meta-analysis, we investigated cMMN deficits in individuals with SZ, including an analysis involving those in the first 5 years of illness. Our search also included individuals with bipolar disorder who experience psychosis; however, no related papers were found and thus, no findings are reported. Our findings indicate a small/moderate effect (d = 0.47), suggesting that individuals with SZ exhibit reduced cMMN amplitudes compared to individuals without SZ. Interestingly, this effect seems to be more pronounced in individuals within the first 5 years of their illness (d = 0.58), suggesting that cMMN might be a more sensitive biomarker in the early phases of SZ compared to traditional paradigms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

• The exact cause and neurological origin of stuttering are still uncertain. • This study suggest that auditory cortex activity is different among people who stutter. • These findings can be useful to enhance the treatment protocols for stuttering. Although a variety of theories have been proposed to explain the etiology of stuttering, the exact neurological origin of it is still uncertain. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between stuttering severity and ERP measures. The population of this study consisted of 12 adults with moderate, 12 adults with severe stuttering, and 12 fluent speakers as the control group. ERPs were recorded during an auditory task in which subjects should determine an oddball stimulus. The result of mismatch negativity (MMN) amplitude analysis revealed significant differences between severe stuttering and fluent speakers groups and between two stuttering groups. Moreover, the result showed significant differences between the three study groups for P300 amplitude. The findings of the present study suggest that the differences in ERP components are existed not only between people who stutter and fluent speakers but also between people with different levels of stuttering severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our objective was to evaluate the use of event-related potentials and the middle-latency somatosensory evoked potential (MLSEP) for the prediction of awakening in coma, determine the evaluation day that evoked potentials (EPs) best predict an awakening outcome, and determine whether the mismatch negativity (MMN) combined with the MLSEP, when recorded at 7 days after coma, improved the prediction of awakening from coma. Methods: Design prospective blinded cohort study. Setting neurointensive care unit of a university hospital. Patients 113 consecutive patients who were severely comatose, whose etiologies of coma included stroke (65 patients), hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (28 patients), intracranial infection (6 patients), and other (14 patients). Interventions none. Measurements we gathered Glasgow Coma Scale scores and recorded EPs for all patients who were comatose at 7, 14, and 30 days after coma onset, unless the patients returned to consciousness. The EPs examined included the MLSEP, the middle-latency auditory evoked potential, the N100, and the MMN. With telephone follow-up after 3 months, the patients were classified as awakening or nonawakening according to Glasgow Outcome Scale. Results: When predicting an awakening outcome, at least the unilateral presence of the N60 had the highest sensitivity (82.7%), whereas the presence of the MMN showed the highest specificity (82.0%). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the EPs were high at 7 days after coma onset. At 7 days after coma onset, the combination of the N60 and MMN offered good predictive performance for awakening (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.852, 95% confidence interval 0.765–0.940), with increased sensitivity (70.0%) and improved specificity (91.7%). Conclusions: The N60 and MMN were the strongest prognostic factors for an awakening outcome. Furthermore, at 7 days after coma onset, the combination of the N60 and MMN improved the prediction of an awakening outcome in patients who were comatose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) is a well characterized event-related potential component which has gained recent attention in theoretical models describing the impact of various styles of mindfulness meditation on attentional processes and perceptual inference. Previous findings highlighted a distinct modulation of the MMN amplitude by different meditation practices and degrees of expertise. In the present study, we attempted to replicate results from the recent literature with a data sample that allowed for increased statistical power compared to previous experiments. Relying on traditional frequentist analysis, we found no effect of focused attention and open monitoring meditation on the auditory MMN amplitude compared to a control condition (silent movie) in expert or novice practitioners (all p > 0.17), providing a non-replication of our previous work (Fucci et al. 2018). Using a Bayesian approach, we found strong evidence against an interaction effect on the MMN amplitude between expertise groups and meditation practices (BF 01 = 11.0), strong evidence against effects of either meditation practices compared to the control condition (BF 01 between 11.9 and 16.1) and moderate evidence against an effect of expertise during meditation (BF 01 between 5.3 and 7.9). On the other hand, we replicated previous evidence of increased alpha oscillatory power during meditation practices compared to a control state (p < 0.001). We discuss our null findings in relation to factors that could undermine the replicability of previous research on this subject, namely low statistical power, use of flexible analysis methods and a possible publication bias leading to a misrepresentation of the available evidence. • We attempted to replicate previous findings on the effect of different meditation styles on the auditory MMN. • We found no effect of meditation on the auditory MMN using frequentist analysis. • Bayesian analysis yields moderate to strong evidence against effects of meditation practice and expertise. • Null findings are discussed in relation to factors undermining research replicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amusia is defined as a difficulty processing the tonal pitch structure of music such that an individual cannot tell the difference between notes that are in-key and out-of-key. A fine-grained pitch discrimination deficit is often observed in people with amusia. It is possible that an intervention, early in development, could mitigate amusia; however, one challenge identifying amusia early in development is that identifying in- and out-of-key notes is a metacognitive task. Given the common co-occurrence of difficulties with pitch discrimination, it would be easier to identify amusia in developing children by using a pitch change detection task. The goal of this study was to explore the behavioural and neurophysiological profiles of adolescents with poor pitch processing (Poor PP) abilities compared with those with normal pitch processing (Normal PP) abilities. Neurophysiologically, the Poor PPs exhibited a similar event-related potential (ERP) profile to adult amusics during both acoustic and musical pitch discrimination tasks. That is, early ERPs (ERAN, MMN) were similar in Poor PPs compared with Normal PPs, whereas late positivities (P300, P600) were absent in Poor PPs, but present in Normal PPs. At the same time, behavioural data revealed a double dissociation between the abilities to detect a pitch deviant in acoustic and musical context, suggesting that about a third of the children would be missed by selecting a fine-grained acoustic pitch discrimination task to identify the presence of amusia in early childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we investigated the central auditory processing and attentional control associated with both recovery and prolongation of occupational burnout. We recorded the event‐related brain potentials N1, P2, mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a to nine changes in speech sounds and to three rarely presented emotional (happy, angry and sad) utterances from individuals with burnout (N = 16) and their matched controls (N = 12). After the 5 years follow‐up, one control had acquired burnout, half (N = 8) of the burnout group had recovered, and the other half (prolonged burnout) still had burnout. The processing of acoustical changes in speech sounds was mainly intact. Prolongation of the burnout was associated with a decrease in MMN amplitude and an increase in P3a amplitude for the happy stimulus. The results suggest that, in the absence of interventions, burnout is a persistent condition, associated with alterations of attentional control, that may be amplified with the prolongation of the condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing system of weakly electric fishes is vital for many behavioral processes, but the system has been relatively unexplored in Apteronotus albifrons. This paper describes the receptive fields of phase-locked neurons in the midbrain of A. albifrons, in combination with neuroanatomy and electron microscopy (EM) to delineate a phase-locked area in this fish, the magnocellular mesencephalic nucleus (MMN). The MMN was isolated electrophysiologically through the detection of phase-locked field potentials of high amplitude. Single-cell recordings were made with a sharp electrode while a phase-locked modulated stimulus was provided to the fish. Receptive field centers of phase-locked neurons in MMN were consistent with tuberous electroreceptor density maps from previous studies, but no receptive field centers were found in the posterior 50% of the body. Intracellular and extracellular labeling of MMN revealed three cell populations: giant cells with large somata (19–24 µm) and their axonal arborizations which span across the entire extent of MMN, axon terminals from spherical cells of the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL), and small cell somata (3–7 µm) along with their projections which extend outside the nucleus. EM revealed multiple gap junction and chemical synapses within MMN. Our results indicate that MMN is a dedicated temporal processing center in A. albifrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with cochlear implants exhibit lower phonological awareness and sound discrimination skills compared to their normal-hearing peers. However, music training has been shown to have a positive effect on speech discrimination and awareness skills. Our study included 23 cochlear implant users and 23 normal hearing participants aged 5–6 years with language skills. The aim was to observe the effect of a music-integrated phonological awareness program on cochlear implant users and to compare the phonological awareness skills of children with cochlear implants before and after online training with their normal hearing peers. Results showed that the trained study group scored higher on the Scale of Early Childhood Phonological Awareness (PASECP) after training than the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, SMRT scores increased between before and after training in the study group, and Mismatch Negativity (MMN) amplitudes increased and latencies decreased as a result of training (p < 0.05). The study suggests that phonological awareness training integrated with music can effectively improve the phonological awareness skills of children with cochlear implants and has the potential to enable them to achieve phonological awareness levels similar to or even better than their normal hearing peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying unexpected acoustic inputs, which allows to react appropriately to new situations, is of major importance for animals. Neural deviance detection describes a change of neural response strength to a stimulus solely caused by the stimulus' probability of occurrence. In the present study, we searched for correlates of deviance detection in auditory brainstem responses obtained in anaesthetised bats (Carollia perspicillata). In an oddball paradigm, we used two pure tone stimuli that represented the main frequencies used by the animal during echolocation (60 kHz) and communication (20 kHz). For both stimuli, we could demonstrate significant differences of response strength between deviant and standard response in slow and fast components of the auditory brainstem response. The data suggest the presence of correlates of deviance detection in brain stations below the inferior colliculus (IC), at the level of the cochlea nucleus and lateral lemniscus. Additionally, our results suggest that deviance detection is mainly driven by repetition suppression in the echolocation frequency band, while in the communication band, a deviant‐related enhancement of the response plays a more important role. This finding suggests a contextual dependence of the mechanisms underlying subcortical deviance detection. The present study demonstrates the value of auditory brainstem responses for studying deviance detection and suggests that auditory specialists, such as bats, use different frequency‐specific strategies to ensure an appropriate sensation of unexpected sounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]