Speech-Encoding Deficits in Neonates Born Large-for-Gestational Age as Revealed With the Envelope Frequency-Following Response

Abstract

Objectives: The present envelope frequency-following response (FFRENV) study aimed at characterizing the neural encoding of the fundamental frequency of speech sounds in neonates born at the higher end of the birth weight continuum (>90th percentile), known as large-for-gestational age (LGA). Design: Twenty-five LGA newborns were recruited from the maternity unit of Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children’s Hospital and paired by age and sex with 25 babies born adequate-for-gestational age (AGA), all from healthy mothers and normal pregnancies. FFRENVs were elicited to the/da/ syllable and recorded while the baby was sleeping in its cradle after a successful universal hearing screening. Neural encoding of the stimulus’ envelope of the fundamental frequency (F0ENV) was characterized through the FFRENV spectral amplitude. Relationships between electrophysiological parameters and maternal/neonatal variables that may condition neonatal neurodevelopment were assessed, including pregestational body mass index (BMI), maternal gestational weight gain and neonatal BMI. Results: LGA newborns showed smaller spectral amplitudes at the F0ENV compared to the AGA group. Significant negative correlations were found between neonatal BMI and the spectral amplitude at the F0ENV. Conclusions: Our results indicate that in spite of having a healthy pregnancy, LGA neonates’ central auditory system is impaired in encoding a fundamental aspect of the speech sounds, namely their fundamental frequency. The negative correlation between the neonates’ BMI and FFRENV indicates that this impaired encoding is independent of the pregnant woman BMI and weight gain during pregnancy, supporting the role of the neonatal BMI. We suggest that the higher adipose tissue observed in the LGA group may impair, via proinflammatory products, the fine-grained central auditory system microstructure required for the neural encoding of the fundamental frequency of speech sounds.