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. 2018 Jan 17;8(1):910.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-18852-3.

Establishing a mental lexicon with cochlear implants: an ERP study with young children

Niki K Vavatzanidis  1   2 , Dirk Mürbe  3 , Angela D Friederici  4 , Anja Hahne  3
Affiliations

Establishing a mental lexicon with cochlear implants: an ERP study with young children

Niki K Vavatzanidis et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

In the present study we explore the implications of acquiring language when relying mainly or exclusively on input from a cochlear implant (CI), a device providing auditory input to otherwise deaf individuals. We focus on the time course of semantic learning in children within the second year of implant use; a period that equals the auditory age of normal hearing children during which vocabulary emerges and extends dramatically. 32 young bilaterally implanted children saw pictures paired with either matching or non-matching auditory words. Their electroencephalographic responses were recorded after 12, 18 and 24 months of implant use, revealing a large dichotomy: Some children failed to show semantic processing throughout their second year of CI use, which fell in line with their poor language outcomes. The majority of children, though, demonstrated semantic processing in form of the so-called N400 effect already after 12 months of implant use, even when their language experience relied exclusively on the implant. This is slightly earlier than observed for normal hearing children of the same auditory age, suggesting that more mature cognitive faculties at the beginning of language acquisition lead to faster semantic learning.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
ERPs at electrode Pz at 12, 18 and 24 months. The second row represents the subgroup of congenitally deaf children. Time windows with a significant difference between the two conditions (p < 0.05) are marked by a grey area and an asterisk.
Figure 2
Figure 2
ERPs within the different age groups sorted according to low/norm/high language test performance at electrode Pz for (a) all children and (b) the congenitally deaf children. Time windows with a significant difference between the two conditions (p < 0.05) are marked by a grey area and an asterisk.
Figure 3
Figure 3
ERPs at electrode Pz averaged over high and norm performers. Top row: all children. Second row: congenitally deaf children only. Time windows with a significant difference between the two conditions (p < 0.05) are marked by a grey area and an asterisk.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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