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Brima T, Beker S, Prinsloo KD, Butler JS, Djukic A, Freedman EG, Molholm S, Foxe JJ. Probing a neural unreliability account of auditory sensory processing atypicalities in Rett Syndrome. J Neurodev Disord 2024; 16:28. [PMID: 38831410 PMCID: PMC11149250 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-024-09544-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the search for objective tools to quantify neural function in Rett Syndrome (RTT), which are crucial in the evaluation of therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials, recordings of sensory-perceptual functioning using event-related potential (ERP) approaches have emerged as potentially powerful tools. Considerable work points to highly anomalous auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in RTT. However, an assumption of the typical signal-averaging method used to derive these measures is "stationarity" of the underlying responses - i.e. neural responses to each input are highly stereotyped. An alternate possibility is that responses to repeated stimuli are highly variable in RTT. If so, this will significantly impact the validity of assumptions about underlying neural dysfunction, and likely lead to overestimation of underlying neuropathology. To assess this possibility, analyses at the single-trial level assessing signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), inter-trial variability (ITV) and inter-trial phase coherence (ITPC) are necessary. METHODS AEPs were recorded to simple 100 Hz tones from 18 RTT and 27 age-matched controls (Ages: 6-22 years). We applied standard AEP averaging, as well as measures of neuronal reliability at the single-trial level (i.e. SNR, ITV, ITPC). To separate signal-carrying components from non-neural noise sources, we also applied a denoising source separation (DSS) algorithm and then repeated the reliability measures. RESULTS Substantially increased ITV, lower SNRs, and reduced ITPC were observed in auditory responses of RTT participants, supporting a "neural unreliability" account. Application of the DSS technique made it clear that non-neural noise sources contribute to overestimation of the extent of processing deficits in RTT. Post-DSS, ITV measures were substantially reduced, so much so that pre-DSS ITV differences between RTT and TD populations were no longer detected. In the case of SNR and ITPC, DSS substantially improved these estimates in the RTT population, but robust differences between RTT and TD were still fully evident. CONCLUSIONS To accurately represent the degree of neural dysfunction in RTT using the ERP technique, a consideration of response reliability at the single-trial level is highly advised. Non-neural sources of noise lead to overestimation of the degree of pathological processing in RTT, and denoising source separation techniques during signal processing substantially ameliorate this issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tufikameni Brima
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience & Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Shlomit Beker
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Kevin D Prinsloo
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience & Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - John S Butler
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Kevin Street Campus, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Aleksandra Djukic
- Rett Syndrome Center, Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Edward G Freedman
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience & Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Sophie Molholm
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience & Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - John J Foxe
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience & Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA.
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA.
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Brima T, Beker S, Prinsloo KD, Butler JS, Djukic A, Freedman EG, Molholm S, Foxe JJ. Probing a neural unreliability account of auditory sensory processing atypicalities in Rett Syndrome. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3863341. [PMID: 38352397 PMCID: PMC10862956 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3863341/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Background In the search for objective tools to quantify neural function in Rett Syndrome (RTT), which are crucial in the evaluation of therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials, recordings of sensory-perceptual functioning using event-related potential (ERP) approaches have emerged as potentially powerful tools. Considerable work points to highly anomalous auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in RTT. However, an assumption of the typical signal-averaging method used to derive these measures is "stationarity" of the underlying responses - i.e. neural responses to each input are highly stereotyped. An alternate possibility is that responses to repeated stimuli are highly variable in RTT. If so, this will significantly impact the validity of assumptions about underlying neural dysfunction, and likely lead to overestimation of underlying neuropathology. To assess this possibility, analyses at the single-trial level assessing signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), inter-trial variability (ITV) and inter-trial phase coherence (ITPC) are necessary. Methods AEPs were recorded to simple 100Hz tones from 18 RTT and 27 age-matched controls (Ages: 6-22 years). We applied standard AEP averaging, as well as measures of neuronal reliability at the single-trial level (i.e. SNR, ITV, ITPC). To separate signal-carrying components from non-neural noise sources, we also applied a denoising source separation (DSS) algorithm and then repeated the reliability measures. Results Substantially increased ITV, lower SNRs, and reduced ITPC were observed in auditory responses of RTT participants, supporting a "neural unreliability" account. Application of the DSS technique made it clear that non-neural noise sources contribute to overestimation of the extent of processing deficits in RTT. Post-DSS, ITV measures were substantially reduced, so much so that pre-DSS ITV differences between RTT and TD populations were no longer detected. In the case of SNR and ITPC, DSS substantially improved these estimates in the RTT population, but robust differences between RTT and TD were still fully evident. Conclusions To accurately represent the degree of neural dysfunction in RTT using the ERP technique, a consideration of response reliability at the single-trial level is highly advised. Non-neural sources of noise lead to overestimation of the degree of pathological processing in RTT, and denoising source separation techniques during signal processing substantially ameliorate this issue.
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Brima T, Beker S, Prinsloo KD, Butler JS, Djukic A, Freedman EG, Molholm S, Foxe JJ. Probing a neural unreliability account of auditory sensory processing atypicalities in Rett Syndrome. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.01.25.24301723. [PMID: 38343802 PMCID: PMC10854351 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.25.24301723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Background In the search for objective tools to quantify neural function in Rett Syndrome (RTT), which are crucial in the evaluation of therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials, recordings of sensory-perceptual functioning using event-related potential (ERP) approaches have emerged as potentially powerful tools. Considerable work points to highly anomalous auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in RTT. However, an assumption of the typical signal-averaging method used to derive these measures is "stationarity" of the underlying responses - i.e. neural responses to each input are highly stereotyped. An alternate possibility is that responses to repeated stimuli are highly variable in RTT. If so, this will significantly impact the validity of assumptions about underlying neural dysfunction, and likely lead to overestimation of underlying neuropathology. To assess this possibility, analyses at the single-trial level assessing signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), inter-trial variability (ITV) and inter-trial phase coherence (ITPC) are necessary. Methods AEPs were recorded to simple 100Hz tones from 18 RTT and 27 age-matched controls (Ages: 6-22 years). We applied standard AEP averaging, as well as measures of neuronal reliability at the single-trial level (i.e. SNR, ITV, ITPC). To separate signal-carrying components from non-neural noise sources, we also applied a denoising source separation (DSS) algorithm and then repeated the reliability measures. Results Substantially increased ITV, lower SNRs, and reduced ITPC were observed in auditory responses of RTT participants, supporting a "neural unreliability" account. Application of the DSS technique made it clear that non-neural noise sources contribute to overestimation of the extent of processing deficits in RTT. Post-DSS, ITV measures were substantially reduced, so much so that pre-DSS ITV differences between RTT and TD populations were no longer detected. In the case of SNR and ITPC, DSS substantially improved these estimates in the RTT population, but robust differences between RTT and TD were still fully evident. Conclusions To accurately represent the degree of neural dysfunction in RTT using the ERP technique, a consideration of response reliability at the single-trial level is highly advised. Non-neural sources of noise lead to overestimation of the degree of pathological processing in RTT, and denoising source separation techniques during signal processing substantially ameliorate this issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tufikameni Brima
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience &Department of Neuroscience University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - Shlomit Beker
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center Bronx, New York 10461, USA
| | - Kevin D. Prinsloo
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience &Department of Neuroscience University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - John S. Butler
- School of Mathematical Sciences Technological University Dublin Kevin Street Campus, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Aleksandra Djukic
- Rett Syndrome Center Department of Neurology Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center Bronx, New York 10467, USA
| | - Edward G. Freedman
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience &Department of Neuroscience University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - Sophie Molholm
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience &Department of Neuroscience University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Rochester, New York 14642, USA
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center Bronx, New York 10461, USA
| | - John J. Foxe
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience &Department of Neuroscience University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Rochester, New York 14642, USA
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center Bronx, New York 10461, USA
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Granados Barbero R, Ghesquière P, Wouters J. Development of Atypical Reading at Ages 5 to 9 Years and Processing of Speech Envelope Modulations in the Brain. Front Comput Neurosci 2022; 16:894578. [PMID: 35782088 PMCID: PMC9248325 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2022.894578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Different studies have suggested that during speech processing readers with dyslexia present atypical levels of neural entrainment as well as atypical functional hemispherical asymmetries in comparison with typical readers. In this study, we evaluated these differences in children and the variation with age before and after starting with formal reading instruction. Synchronized neural auditory processing activity was quantified based on auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) from EEG recordings. The stimulation was modulated at syllabic and phonemic fluctuation rates present in speech. We measured the brain activation patterns and the hemispherical asymmetries in children at three age points (5, 7, and 9 years old). Despite the well-known heterogeneity during developmental stages, especially in children and in dyslexia, we could extract meaningful common oscillatory patterns. The analyses included (1) the estimations of source localization, (2) hemispherical preferences using a laterality index, measures of neural entrainment, (3) signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), and (4) connectivity using phase coherence measures. In this longitudinal study, we confirmed that the existence of atypical levels of neural entrainment and connectivity already exists at pre-reading stages. Overall, these measures reflected a lower ability of the dyslectic brain to synchronize with syllabic rate stimulation. In addition, our findings reinforced the hypothesis of a later maturation of the processing of beta rhythms in dyslexia. This investigation emphasizes the importance of longitudinal studies in dyslexia, especially in children, where neural oscillatory patterns as well as differences between typical and atypical developing children can vary in the span of a year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raúl Granados Barbero
- Research Group Experimental ORL, Department of Neurosciences, Katholieke University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Raúl Granados Barbero
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Katholieke University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group Experimental ORL, Department of Neurosciences, Katholieke University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Granados Barbero R, de Vos A, Ghesquière P, Wouters J. Atypical processing in neural source analysis of speech envelope modulations in adolescents with dyslexia. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:7839-7859. [PMID: 34730259 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Different studies have suggested that language and developmental disorders such as dyslexia are associated with a disturbance of auditory entrainment and of the functional hemispheric asymmetries during speech processing. These disorders typically result from an issue in the phonological component of language that causes problems to represent and manipulate the phonological structure of words at the syllable and/or phoneme level. We used Auditory Steady-State Responses (ASSRs) in EEG recordings to investigate the brain activation and hemisphere asymmetry of theta, alpha, beta and low-gamma range oscillations in typical readers and readers with dyslexia. The aim was to analyse whether the group differences found in previous electrode level studies were caused by a different source activation pattern or conversely was an effect that could be found on the active brain sources. We could not find differences in the brain locations of the main active brain sources. However, we observed differences in the extracted waveforms. The group average of the first DSS component of all signal-to-noise ratios of ASSR at source level was higher than the group averages at the electrode level. These analyses included a lower alpha synchronisation in adolescents with dyslexia and the possibility of compensatory mechanisms in theta, beta and low-gamma frequency bands. The main brain auditory sources were located in cortical regions around the auditory cortex. Thus, the differences observed in auditory EEG experiments would, according to our findings, have their origin in the intrinsic oscillatory mechanisms of the brain cortical sources related to speech perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raúl Granados Barbero
- Research Group Experimental ORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Astrid de Vos
- Research Group Experimental ORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pol Ghesquière
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Wouters
- Research Group Experimental ORL, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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