Infant multisensory integration and speech development: A multimodal imaging study

项目总结 多感官整合在言语习得中起着核心作用，因为大多数婴儿都能驾驭听觉和视觉 破解语言代码的信息。在生命的第一年，多感官处理的中断 与后来的言语延迟和语言障碍有关。尽管对成年人的研究已经确定了几个 大脑测量和参与多感觉处理的大脑区域，这一过程是如何在婴儿中出现的 而它与行为结果，特别是语言结果之间的关系，是非常未知的。这个 该职业发展奖的主要目标是支持多模式脑成像的培训 为了研究多感官发育的功能和结构机制以及它们 典型发育阶段(TD)和早产儿的言语习得和语言结果的关系 婴儿。对正常的多感官整合和偏离正常的理解的改善将提供信息 婴儿言语延迟/障碍的早期诊断和干预策略。 拟议的奖励基于候选人之前在语音处理和多感官方面的培训 感知，将这一知识扩展到婴儿大脑成像(功能和结构)和 婴幼儿发声分析。目的1描述TD和TD的多感觉整合的神经基础 并调查9至12个月大(时间1)的早产儿和大脑行为之间的关系。 具体地说，Aim 1a研究皮质神经过程(通过婴儿脑磁图获得)。 (脑磁图))在一致和不一致视听语音刺激后，重点关注阿尔法活动 布罗卡区的听觉皮质和伽马活动。目标1b检查脑磁图是否测量 多感觉加工以及结构连接性的DTI测量与言语前相关 发声(即规范的喋喋不休)。Aim 2b测试大脑是否测量和发声评估 在出生的第一年，在24个月时预测言语/语言的结果。最后，直接探索性目标3 比较早产儿和TD婴儿的这些指标。尽管K01研究调查了复杂的 多感官言语机制，考虑到候选人的背景和可用的情况，研究是可行的 机构资源(科学家和技术)。研究结果有望为理论模型提供参考 早期语音发育，并为未来R01临床脑成像提供候选试点数据 高危婴儿群体中非典型多感觉发育的研究。 该奖项还将为候选人提供获得行为评估培训的机会 语音/语言开发和尖端多模式成像技术。这项研究进行了 该奖项提供的培训对候选人进行独立研究的长期目标至关重要 关于言语/语言发育和障碍的神经生理学机制。

Project summary Multisensory integration plays a central role in speech acquisition as most infants harness auditory and visual information to crack the language code. Disruption to multisensory processing in the first year of life is associated with later speech delay and language disorders. Although research in adults has identified several brain measures and brain regions involved in multisensory processing, how this process emerges in infants and how it is related to behavioral outcome, especially language outcome, is very much unknown. The primary objective of this Career Development Award is to support training in multimodal brain imaging in order to examine functional and structural mechanisms of multisensory development and their associations with speech acquisition and language outcomes in typically developing (TD) and preterm infants. Improved understanding of normal multisensory integration and deviations from normal will inform early diagnosis and intervention strategies for infant speech delay/disorders. The proposed award builds upon the candidate’s prior training in speech processing and multisensory perception, extending this knowledge into the domains of infant brain imaging (function and structure) and infant vocalization analysis. Aim 1 characterizes the neural bases of multisensory integration in TD and preterm infants and investigates brain-behavior associations in infants 9 to 12 months old (Time 1). Specifically, Aim 1a investigates cortical neural processes (obtained via infant magnetoencephalography (MEG)) following congruent versus incongruent audiovisual speech stimuli, with a focus on alpha activity in auditory cortex and gamma activity in Broca’s area. Aim 1b examines whether the MEG measures of multisensory processing as well as DTI measures of structural connectivity are associated with pre-verbal vocalization (i.e., canonical babbling). Aim 2b tests whether the brain measures and vocalization assessment in the first year of life predict speech/language outcome at 24 months. Finally, Exploratory Aim 3 directly compares these measures in preterm infants versus TD infants. Although the K01 study investigate complex multisensory speech mechanisms, the research is feasible given the candidate’s background and the available institutional resources (scientists and technology). Study findings are expected to inform theoretical modals of early speech development as well as provide the candidate pilot data for future R01 clinical brain imaging studies on atypical multisensory development in at-risk infant populations. The award will also provide the candidate the opportunity to obtain training in behavioral assessment of speech/language development and cutting-edge multimodal imaging techniques. The research performed and training provided by this award is critical to the candidate’s long-term goal of conducting independent research on the neurophysiological mechanisms of speech/language development and disorders.