PP505 - Auditory Electrophysiological Assessment in School-Aged Children with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract:
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is caused by a direct blow to the head, face, neck, or body, resulting in an impulsive force being transmitted to the brain and associated functional disturbance. mTBI appears to impact the central auditory function in adults, mainly in adverse listening conditions, but this has not been evaluated in children. The present study aimed to investigate central auditory function in children with mTBI. Preliminary data showed that the waveforms of auditory late latency responses were different in some children with mTBI compared to typically developing children when measured in quiet and in noise conditions.

Summary:

Introduction:
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is caused by a sudden trauma to the head resulting in a disruption of the brain functioning (Silverberg et al., 2023). This manifests through a range of physical, somatic, cognitive, and socio-emotional symptoms (Silverberg et al., 2023). More than 30% children/adolescents with mTBI have persisting symptoms after one month from their injury (Zemek et al., 2016). Results from studies in adults indicate that mTBI-related sequelae are especially prevalent in noisy listening situations (Hoover et al., 2017; Vander Werff et Rieger, 2019; Buriti et Gil, 2022). Other studies find a reduced amplitude of N1, P2 and/or N2 for auditory late latency responses (ALLRs) or Mismatch Negativity, which suggests that auditory processing may be affected by mTBI (Solbakk et al., 1999; Gosselin et al., 2006). However, to our knowledge, no study has evaluated central auditory function in children with mTBI.

Objective:
Investigate the impact of mTBI on auditory function in 8–12 year-old children using electrophysiological measures.

Methods:
hildren with mTBI were recruited from two hospitals in Montreal. Typically developing children were recruited in the community or at an orthopedic clinic in a pediatric hospital as the participants in the control group. These children were matched to participants with mTBI based on age and sex. The primary outcome was the auditory function measured by auditory late latency responses (ALLRs). ALLRs were recorded with a cap of 64 electrodes in six different conditions: 200 presentations of a pure tone of 1000 Hz or of a syllable /da/ under earphones at 70 dBA in both ears in quiet and in noise at a signal-to-noise ratio of + 5 and +15. Testing was performed within 14 days of the injury and three months after the first assessment. Children in the control group were also reassessed three months after their first testing session.

Results:
Preliminary data indicate that some children with mTBI have more affected components of the ALLRs than children in the control group. Noise listening conditions had a detrimental effect on these components in both groups compared to the quiet condition, and this was more apparent in some children with mTBI.

Conclusions:
mTBI may impact auditory function in children with mTBI. In another study, the link between the results of the electrophysiological measures and auditory behavioral test results should be explored in this population. If this association exists, a thorough audiological evaluation could be performed in children with mTBI when the electrophysiological measures show signs of auditory dysfunction. It is essential to identify the auditory abilities/disabilities experienced by some of these children, especially when ALLRs are more affected by the noise conditions. Identification of auditory abilities/disabilities and dysfunctions could potentially lead to interventions to reduce adverse effects secondary to mTBI.

References
https://udemontreal-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/marianne_dubuc_1_umontreal_ca/EeeXirkoUNRBr22QEwVsbfcBajii-F4C2D1uCEnKY-HNaQ?e=rA3anw

Authors
https://udemontreal-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/marianne_dubuc_1_umontreal_ca/EYOTlp56QZZOtHGUC6zXOfMBakwItqBtK4hc8OTWLueF-g?e=RiIc6g