The auditory sensory memory trace decays rapidly in newborns

The present study investigated the temporal dynamics of auditory sensory memory in newborns as reflected by the mismatch negativity (MMN), a preattentive electric change-detection response. MMN was obtained from 24 full-term healthy newborns who were either awake or asleep (quiet or active sleep) du...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scandinavian journal of psychology 2002-02, Vol.43 (1), p.33-39
Main Authors: Cheour, Marie, Ceponiené, Rita, Leppänen, Paavo, Alho, Kimmo, Kujala, Teija, Renlund, Martin, Fellman, Vineta, Näätänen, Risto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Auditory Perception - physiology
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Memory - physiology
Sleep - physiology
Time Factors
Wakefulness - physiology
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The present study investigated the temporal dynamics of auditory sensory memory in newborns as reflected by the mismatch negativity (MMN), a preattentive electric change-detection response. MMN was obtained from 24 full-term healthy newborns who were either awake or asleep (quiet or active sleep) during the experiments. Stimuli were 1,000 Hz tones (standards) that were occasionally replaced by 1,100 Hz tones (deviants). The constant stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) was, in separate blocks, either 450, 800, or 1,500 ms. A prominent MMN was obtained at the 800 ms SOA in all three sleep or waking states, whereas no MMN occurred at 450 and 1,500 ms SOAs. In view of the fact that in adults MMN is elicited even with a 10s SOA, these results imply that the time span of auditory memory is considerably shorter in neonates than in adults and 8-12-year-old children.
ISSN:0036-5564
DOI:10.1111/1467-9450.00266