# Auditory experience during the prenatal and perinatal period

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · 2021 · $154,354

## Abstract

Within the United States alone, over a half-million infants are born premature each year. While medical
advances have dramatically improved survival rates, long-term morbidities related to auditory function are
common. The preterm population suffers from a relatively high prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss,
auditory neuropathy/dys-synchrony, and central auditory processing disorder. Even preterm infants in whom no
specific auditory pathology has been diagnosed exhibit cognitive impairments related to auditory processing,
including auditory attention deficits, language processing deficits, and other speech/language communication
deficits. Despite these facts, a solid understanding of the impact of premature birth on auditory
neurodevelopment is lacking. Possible effects of the acoustic environment are unknown. The long-term
objective of this research is to characterize the effect of premature birth on auditory neurodevelopment and
communication behavior to aid in improving best medical practices and therapeutic interventions for preterm
infants. In this study, we propose to measure the effects of auditory input during the preterm period on
neurodevelopmental outcomes. There are three specific aims. In Aim 1 we will recruit a cohort of preterm
infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to prospectively measure their auditory input during hospital
stay. We will quantify detailed auditory experience in the NICU and determine how this differs from intrauterine
auditory experience. In Aim 2 we will determine the effect of premature birth on auditory function at 3 months of
age. In Aim 3 we will determine the relationship between our measured parameters of perinatal auditory
experience and auditory function in infancy. The proposed study will lay the foundation for a longitudinal study
aimed to determine the effect of auditory experience in the NICU on long-term auditory and language
development. Valuable insight will be gained as to how premature birth and NICU environment might affect
auditory neurodevelopment. Results of these studies will ultimately aid in identifying (1) effective interventions
to optimize NICU auditory experience and (2) potential early-intervention therapies for NICU infants at greatest
risk for auditory and language deficits later in childhood.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10197097
- **Project number:** 5R21DC017820-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
- **Principal Investigator:** Brian Bruce Monson
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $154,354
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10197097

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10197097, Auditory experience during the prenatal and perinatal period (5R21DC017820-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10197097. Licensed CC0.

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