The development of the length of the temporal window of integration for rapidly presented auditory information as indexed by MMN

Objective The length of the temporal window integrating successive auditory stimuli into unitary percepts has been estimated to be less than 200 ms in adults. The aim of the study was to investigate the development of the integrating window in children to determine whether it is similar to young adults. Methods A modified auditory oddball paradigm was presented at a rapid (150–400 ms) onset-to-onset pace during recording of electroencephalogram in two groups of children (aged 5–8 and 9–11 years) and one group of adults. Latencies and amplitudes of the P1, N1, and the mismatch negativity (MMN) components of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were measured. Results The length of the temporal window of integration (TWI) was shorter in adults (<200 ms) than older children (<300 ms in 9–11-year-olds) and younger children (<350 ms in the 5–8-year-olds). In addition, age-related changes were found in the latency and amplitude of the ERP components. Conclusions The results demonstrate a general maturational development of the auditory evoked potentials and also a specific maturational process for temporal encoding of information in auditory cortex. Significance Rapid stimulus presentation rates can be successfully used in school-aged children to study neural mechanisms of auditory processes.