Functional magnetic resonance imaging of auditory cortex in children

Objective: To obtain images of auditory cortex activation in children by us ing functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), Methods: Seven healthy ch ildren (three girls and four boys), ages 6 to 10 years, were studied. Heari ng evaluation was performed by pure-tone audiometry on the day of FMRI stud y. Brain imaging was performed on a commercial 1.5 T imager using a three-a xis local gradient coil. During scanning the children were instructed to li e still and avoid any lip, eye, jaw, or other facial movements, Subjects we re asked to listen to a standard text presented in on-off sequences. Functi onal images of the auditory cortex were acquired with FMRI technique. Funct ional imaging processing was done using cross-correlation techniques with a coefficient of 0.5 (P < .0001), Results: Functional correlation images of the auditory cortex activation were obtained in six of seven children after image processing. All children showed activation in the superior temporal gyrus, Heschl's gyrus, planum temporale, frontal lobe, and parietal regions , There was no significant difference in the number and percentage of activ ated pixels on right and left auditory cortices, Conclusions: Functional im ages of auditory cortex activation were obtained in healthy children follow ing binaural text presentation. Consistent activation was observed in prima ry and secondary auditory cortices with no hemispheric dominance, FMRI char acteristics of the auditory cortex activation in healthy children should be established in order to study those with hearing impairment. Rey Words: Ma gnetic resonance, functional, auditory cortex, children, FMRI.