Neurophysiological Indicators of Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: Examining Discrimination and Habituation Among Children Born Preterm

Children born preterm are at an elevated likelihood for autism (ELA) and intellectual disabilities (ID). Event-related Potentials (ERPs), such as the P1 and the Mismatch Negativity (MMN), can be used to measure underlying neurophysiology, which may aid in the identification of these important neurodevelopmental and cognitive outcomes. Specifically, enhanced P1 and MMN discrimination, measured via the difference between two alternating sounds, is associated with autism while reduced neurophysiological habituation is associated with a lower IQ. The present study sought to examine whether early auditory discrimination and habituation could differentially predict autistic traits and cognitive abilities, respectively, as well as assess brain-behaviour associations between ERPs and traits relevant to autism (i.e., attention to detail and sensory sensitivity) among a sample of ELA children born preterm (n = 22). Results suggested that a larger P1 discrimination led to a greater caregiver endorsement of autistic traits, though this relationship changed with the addition of IQ into the model. P1 habituation did not predict IQ, which did not change when adding autistic traits. Lastly, larger P1 discrimination and MMN amplitudes were associated with more restricted and repetitive behaviours. These findings, which warrant further assessment with large and diverse samples, contribute novel insights by highlighting a group of ELA children born preterm and establishing early auditory discrimination as a potential predictor of autistic traits.