# Development of neural processing of sound in infancy

> **NIH NIH R00** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2020 · $53,838

## Abstract

Human auditory development is characterized by a puzzling structural-functional paradox: infants show
sophisticated auditory capabilities from the time they are born despite significant immaturities that exist in their
central auditory system. These early auditory skills play a critical role in infants’ ability to acquire language,
appreciate music, and navigate the complex acoustic environments around them. The neural mechanisms that
support early sound processing, however, are not well understood. In the mentored K99 phase of this award, the
candidate will employ magnetoencephalography (MEG) to obtain functional measures of auditory processing in
infants at different stages of anatomical maturation. The candidate will first test the prevailing hypothesis that early
auditory perception is supported predominantly by subcortical processing with a transition to cortical mechanisms
after six months of age (AIM 1). MEG responses will be recorded in infants to speech sounds and a complex nonspeech
control stimulus. The sources of the MEG signals will then be localized with the equivalent current dipole
model. Next, the candidate will characterize the development of functional specialization of speech processing
using the late-field MEG responses recorded in the previous conditions (AIM 2). While left hemisphere dominance
for speech has been well documented in adult listeners, how this functional asymmetry develops is unclear. Finally,
in the independent R00 phase, infants with a mild-to-moderate hearing impairment will be tested to investigate the
impact of abnormal auditory experience on central auditory maturation (AIM 3). This research will advance our
understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying early sound processing and the role of auditory experience
in their development. These findings will also contribute to our understanding of the mature neural networks
involved in auditory processing and give context to investigations conducted in older children and adults. From a
clinical perspective, this research has the potential to show that early identification and treatment of hearing loss
is important for auditory brain development and could serve as the evidence-base for clinical recommendations.
The research performed and training provided during this award will enable the candidate to achieve the
candidate’s goal of developing an independent research program that employs both neurophysiological and
behavioral approaches to investigate typical and atypical auditory development. The independent phase of the
NIH Pathway to Independence Career Development award will be carried out at the University of Washington,
Seattle, where the candidate will begin her career as a research assistant professor in the Department of
Otolaryngology on July 1, 2020.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10225656
- **Project number:** 3R00DC016640-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** BONNIE K. LAU
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $53,838
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10225656

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10225656, Development of neural processing of sound in infancy (3R00DC016640-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10225656. Licensed CC0.

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