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Ozernov-Palchik O, O’Brien AM, Jiachen Lee E, Richardson H, Romeo R, Lipkin B, Small H, Capella J, Nieto-Castañón A, Saxe R, Gabrieli JDE, Fedorenko E. Precision fMRI reveals that the language network exhibits adult-like left-hemispheric lateralization by 4 years of age. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.15.594172. [PMID: 38798360 PMCID: PMC11118489 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.15.594172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Left hemisphere damage in adulthood often leads to linguistic deficits, but many cases of early damage leave linguistic processing preserved, and a functional language system can develop in the right hemisphere. To explain this early apparent equipotentiality of the two hemispheres for language, some have proposed that the language system is bilateral during early development and only becomes left-lateralized with age. We examined language lateralization using functional magnetic resonance imaging with two large pediatric cohorts (total n=273 children ages 4-16; n=107 adults). Strong, adult-level left-hemispheric lateralization (in activation volume and response magnitude) was evident by age 4. Thus, although the right hemisphere can take over language function in some cases of early brain damage, and although some features of the language system do show protracted development (magnitude of language response and strength of inter-regional correlations in the language network), the left-hemisphere bias for language is robustly present by 4 years of age. These results call for alternative accounts of early equipotentiality of the two hemispheres for language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ola Ozernov-Palchik
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Amanda M. O’Brien
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
| | - Elizabeth Jiachen Lee
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Hilary Richardson
- School of Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Romeo
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Benjamin Lipkin
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Hannah Small
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, United States
| | - Jimmy Capella
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | | | - Rebecca Saxe
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - John D. E. Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
| | - Evelina Fedorenko
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
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2
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Hobbs NZ, Papoutsi M, Delva A, Kinnunen KM, Nakajima M, Van Laere K, Vandenberghe W, Herath P, Scahill RI. Neuroimaging to Facilitate Clinical Trials in Huntington's Disease: Current Opinion from the EHDN Imaging Working Group. J Huntingtons Dis 2024; 13:163-199. [PMID: 38788082 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-240016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Neuroimaging is increasingly being included in clinical trials of Huntington's disease (HD) for a wide range of purposes from participant selection and safety monitoring, through to demonstration of disease modification. Selection of the appropriate modality and associated analysis tools requires careful consideration. On behalf of the EHDN Imaging Working Group, we present current opinion on the utility and future prospects for inclusion of neuroimaging in HD trials. Covering the key imaging modalities of structural-, functional- and diffusion- MRI, perfusion imaging, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and magnetoencephalography, we address how neuroimaging can be used in HD trials to: 1) Aid patient selection, enrichment, stratification, and safety monitoring; 2) Demonstrate biodistribution, target engagement, and pharmacodynamics; 3) Provide evidence for disease modification; and 4) Understand brain re-organization following therapy. We also present the challenges of translating research methodology into clinical trial settings, including equipment requirements and cost, standardization of acquisition and analysis, patient burden and invasiveness, and interpretation of results. We conclude, that with appropriate consideration of modality, study design and analysis, imaging has huge potential to facilitate effective clinical trials in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Z Hobbs
- HD Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
| | - Marina Papoutsi
- HD Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK
- IXICO plc, London, UK
| | - Aline Delva
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | - Koen Van Laere
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Division of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wim Vandenberghe
- Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium
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3
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Martin KC, Seydell-Greenwald A, Turkeltaub PE, Chambers CE, Giannetti M, Dromerick AW, Carpenter JL, Berl MM, Gaillard WD, Newport EL. One right can make a left: sentence processing in the right hemisphere after perinatal stroke. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:11257-11268. [PMID: 37859521 PMCID: PMC10690853 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
When brain regions that are critical for a cognitive function in adulthood are irreversibly damaged at birth, what patterns of plasticity support the successful development of that function in an alternative location? Here we investigate the consistency of language organization in the right hemisphere (RH) after a left hemisphere (LH) perinatal stroke. We analyzed fMRI data collected during an auditory sentence comprehension task on 14 people with large cortical LH perinatal arterial ischemic strokes (left hemisphere perinatal stroke (LHPS) participants) and 11 healthy sibling controls using a "top voxel" approach that allowed us to compare the same number of active voxels across each participant and in each hemisphere for controls. We found (1) LHPS participants consistently recruited the same RH areas that were a mirror-image of typical LH areas, and (2) the RH areas recruited in LHPS participants aligned better with the strongly activated LH areas of the typically developed brains of control participants (when flipped images were compared) than the weakly activated RH areas. Our findings suggest that the successful development of language processing in the RH after a LH perinatal stroke may in part depend on recruiting an arrangement of frontotemporal areas reflective of the typical dominant LH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly C Martin
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, United States
| | - Anna Seydell-Greenwald
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, United States
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC 20010, United States
| | - Peter E Turkeltaub
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, United States
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC 20010, United States
| | - Catherine E Chambers
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, United States
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC 20010, United States
| | - Margot Giannetti
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, United States
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC 20010, United States
| | - Alexander W Dromerick
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, United States
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC 20010, United States
| | - Jessica L Carpenter
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore MD 21201, United States
| | - Madison M Berl
- Children’s National Hospital and Center for Neuroscience, Washington, DC 20010, United States
| | - William D Gaillard
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, United States
- Children’s National Hospital and Center for Neuroscience, Washington, DC 20010, United States
| | - Elissa L Newport
- Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, United States
- MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC 20010, United States
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4
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Kavčič A, Demšar J, Georgiev D, Meglič NP, Šalamon AS. EEG functional connectivity after perinatal stroke. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:9927-9935. [PMID: 37415237 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Impaired cognitive functioning after perinatal stroke has been associated with long-term functional brain network changes. We explored brain functional connectivity using a 64-channel resting-state electroencephalogram in 12 participants, aged 5-14 years with a history of unilateral perinatal arterial ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke. A control group of 16 neurologically healthy subjects was also included-each test subject was compared with multiple control subjects, matched by sex and age. Functional connectomes from the alpha frequency band were calculated for each subject and the differences in network graph metrics between the 2 groups were analyzed. Our results suggest that the functional brain networks of children with perinatal stroke show evidence of disruption even years after the insult and that the scale of changes appears to be influenced by the lesion volume. The networks remain more segregated and show a higher synchronization at both whole-brain and intrahemispheric level. Total interhemispheric strength was higher in children with perinatal stroke compared with healthy controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alja Kavčič
- Division of Pediatrics, Department of Neonatology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Bohoričeva 20, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jure Demšar
- Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 113, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Dejan Georgiev
- Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 113, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zaloška cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nuška Pečarič Meglič
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zaloška cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Aneta Soltirovska Šalamon
- Division of Pediatrics, Department of Neonatology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Bohoričeva 20, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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5
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Regev TI, Lipkin B, Boebinger D, Paunov A, Kean H, Norman-Haignere S, Fedorenko E. Preserved functional organization of human auditory cortex in individuals missing one temporal lobe from infancy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.18.523979. [PMID: 36711687 PMCID: PMC9882328 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.18.523979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Human cortical responses to natural sounds, measured with fMRI, can be approximated as the weighted sum of a small number of canonical response patterns (components), each having interpretable functional and anatomical properties. Here, we asked whether this organization is preserved in cases where only one temporal lobe is available due to early brain damage by investigating a unique family: one sibling born without a left temporal lobe, another without a right temporal lobe, and a third anatomically neurotypical. We analyzed fMRI responses to diverse natural sounds within the intact hemispheres of these individuals and compared them to 12 neurotypical participants. All siblings manifested the neurotypical auditory responses in their intact hemispheres. These results suggest that the development of the auditory cortex in each hemisphere does not depend on the existence of the other hemisphere, highlighting the redundancy and equipotentiality of the bilateral auditory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar I Regev
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA
| | - Benjamin Lipkin
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA
| | - Dana Boebinger
- Department of Biostatistics & Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Alexander Paunov
- INSERM-CEA Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit (UNICOG), NeuroSpin Center, Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Hope Kean
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA
| | - Sam Norman-Haignere
- Department of Biostatistics & Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
| | - Evelina Fedorenko
- Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA
- Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology (SHBT) Program, Harvard University, Boston MA
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Li J, Kean H, Fedorenko E, Saygin Z. Intact reading ability despite lacking a canonical visual word form area in an individual born without the left superior temporal lobe. Cogn Neuropsychol 2023; 39:249-275. [PMID: 36653302 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2023.2164923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The visual word form area (VWFA), a region canonically located within left ventral temporal cortex (VTC), is specialized for orthography in literate adults presumbly due to its connectivity with frontotemporal language regions. But is a typical, left-lateralized language network critical for the VWFA's emergence? We investigated this question in an individual (EG) born without the left superior temporal lobe but who has normal reading ability. EG showed canonical typical face-selectivity bilateraly but no wordselectivity either in right VWFA or in the spared left VWFA. Moreover, in contrast with the idea that the VWFA is simply part of the language network, no part of EG's VTC showed selectivity to higher-level linguistic processing. Interestingly, EG's VWFA showed reliable multivariate patterns that distinguished words from other categories. These results suggest that a typical left-hemisphere language network is necessary for acanonical VWFA, and that orthographic processing can otherwise be supported by a distributed neural code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Li
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Hope Kean
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences / McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Evelina Fedorenko
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences / McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Zeynep Saygin
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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7
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Ilves N, Männamaa M, Laugesaar R, Ilves N, Loorits D, Vaher U, Kool P, Ilves P. Language lateralization and outcome in perinatal stroke patients with different vascular types. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 228:105108. [PMID: 35334446 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Perinatal stroke affects child's language development and can change language lateralization. Language generation and comprehension tasks in functional magnetic resonance imaging were used to determine language lateralization in term born children with perinatal left-side arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) (n = 9, mean age (SD) 13.4 (3.1) y.) and periventricular venous infarction (PVI) (n = 12, 11.8 (2.8) y.), and in healthy right-handed controls (n = 30, 11.6 (2.6) y.). Lateralization index was calculated for the Broca and Wernicke areas and correlated with language and cognitive outcomes measured by the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children II ed. Language outcome in children with perinatal stroke is poorer compared to healthy controls. Children with small AIS lesions and most children with PVI showed left-side language activation. Most children with large AIS lesions and one child with large PVI had language activation reorganized to the right hemisphere. Language reorganization to the unlesioned right hemisphere did not ensure normal language outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nigul Ilves
- Radiology Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia; Department of Radiology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Mairi Männamaa
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Children's Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Rael Laugesaar
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Children's Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Norman Ilves
- Radiology Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia; Department of Radiology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Dagmar Loorits
- Department of Radiology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ulvi Vaher
- Department of Radiology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia; Children's Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Pille Kool
- Department of Radiology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Pilvi Ilves
- Radiology Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia; Department of Radiology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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Tang J, Xiang X, Cheng X. The Progress of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Poststroke Aphasia. JOURNAL OF HEALTHCARE ENGINEERING 2022; 2022:3270534. [PMID: 35494510 PMCID: PMC9050274 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3270534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Aphasia after stroke is one of the common complications of cerebral infarction. Early diagnosis and treatment of aphasia after stroke is of great significance for the recovery of language function. At present, there are different views on the pathogenesis of aphasia after stroke. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can reflect the brain function, brain tissue metabolism, and the level of brain local blood flow. It has the advantages of noninvasive, high resolution and sensitivity, low price, and so on. It has been widely used in the study of sensory aphasia after stroke. This study focuses on the development of functional magnetic resonance imaging in patients with poststroke aphasia and summarizes the published studies on functional magnetic resonance imaging in patients with poststroke aphasia. Evidence acquisition: A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Hindawi, PLoS, IEEE, Wiley, ScienceDirect, Springer, EMBASE, and web of science, with the keywords of "stroke" and "Aphasia" and "functional magnetic resonance imaging", "RS fMRI", or "DTI", to review the research of functional magnetic resonance imaging in patients with aphasia after stroke. The results included clinical evaluation, diagnostic scale, and imaging analysis; the study design was a randomized controlled trial, case series and case report, and observational study. A total of 67 articles were identified in the first search and 43 after the second search. Based on the analysis of 43 selected articles, 19 articles were included, and 24 articles were excluded. The selected information is shown in Table 1. Eleven of them did not contain imaging-related data. Six articles are related review articles. Four studies were conducted on patients without poststroke aphasia. Three studies studied the effect of poststroke aphasia on patients' social participation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinping Tang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434000, Hubei, China
| | - Xuli Xiang
- The Second People's Hospital of Gongan County, Jingzhou 434000, Hubei, China
| | - Xianglin Cheng
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434000, Hubei, China
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9
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Tuckute G, Paunov A, Kean H, Small H, Mineroff Z, Blank I, Fedorenko E. Frontal language areas do not emerge in the absence of temporal language areas: A case study of an individual born without a left temporal lobe. Neuropsychologia 2022; 169:108184. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Chifa M, Hadar T, Politimou N, Reynolds G, Franco F. The Soundscape of Neonatal Intensive Care: A Mixed-Methods Study of the Parents' Experience. CHILDREN-BASEL 2021; 8:children8080644. [PMID: 34438535 PMCID: PMC8391440 DOI: 10.3390/children8080644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Parents who have infants hospitalised in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) experience high levels of stress, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, whether sounds contribute to parents’ stress remains largely unknown. Critically, researchers lack a comprehensive instrument to investigate the relationship between sounds in NICUs and parental stress. To address this gap, this report presents the “Soundscape of NICU Questionnaire” (SON-Q), which was developed specifically to capture parents’ perceptions and beliefs about the impact that sound had on them and their infants, from pre-birth throughout the NICU stay and in the first postdischarge period. Parents of children born preterm (n = 386) completed the SON-Q and the Perinatal PTSD Questionnaire (PPQ). Principal Component Analysis identifying underlying dimensions comprising the parental experience of the NICU soundscape was followed by an exploration of the relationships between subscales of the SON-Q and the PPQ. Moderation analysis was carried out to further elucidate relationships between variables. Finally, thematic analysis was employed to analyse one memory of sounds in NICU open question. The results highlight systematic associations between aspects of the NICU soundscape and parental stress/trauma. The findings underscore the importance of developing specific studies in this area and devising interventions to best support parents’ mental health, which could in turn support infants’ developmental outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Chifa
- Psychology Department, Faculty of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London NW4 4BT, UK; (M.C.); (G.R.)
| | - Tamar Hadar
- Division of Expressive Therapies, Graduate School of Arts & Social Sciences, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA;
| | - Nina Politimou
- Institute of Education, University College London, London WC1H 0AA, UK;
| | - Gemma Reynolds
- Psychology Department, Faculty of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London NW4 4BT, UK; (M.C.); (G.R.)
| | - Fabia Franco
- Psychology Department, Faculty of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, London NW4 4BT, UK; (M.C.); (G.R.)
- Correspondence:
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