According to our findings , auditory event‐related potentials can help to predict neurodevelopmental outcome in preterms .
Both prospect i ve and cross‐sectional studies reported a relationship between AERPs and cognitive outcome .
Our results show that larger amplitudes and shorter latencies of late AERPs are related to better cognitive outcomes .
HIGHLIGHTSPreterm birth is associated with an elevated risk for neurodevelopmental deficits .
Auditory event‐related potentials can be used to assess early cognitive functioning .
This paper represents the first systematic review investigating the predictive power of AERPs on  cognition in preterms .
ABSTRACT Prematurity is a known risk factor for later cognitive deficits .
At present there are neither behavioral nor neurological tests available to detect those preterm infants who would benefit most from early interventions .
Neurophysiologic methods , and more specifically , auditory event‐related potentials ( AERPs ) are convenient tools to investigate early cognitive functioning .
However , the capability of AERPs as a prognostic factor for mental development in preterm infants remains unclear .
Maturational effects on newborn ERPs measured in the mismatch negativity paradigm
The mismatch negativity ( MMN ) component of event-related potentials ( ERPs ) , a measure of passive change detection , is suggested to develop early in comparison to other ERP components , and an MMN-like response has been measured even from preterm infants . The MMN response in adults is negative in polarity at about 150 - 200 ms . However , the response measured in a typical MMN paradigm can also be markedly different in newborns , even opposite in polarity . This has been suggested to be related to maturational factors . To verify that suggestion , we measured  ERPs  of 21 newborns during quiet sleep  to rarely occurring deviant tones of 1100 Hz ( probability 12 % ) embedded among repeated st and ard tones of 1000 Hz in an oddball sequence . Gestational age ( GA ) and two cardiac measures , vagal tone  ( V ) and  heart period ( HP ) , were used as measures of maturation . GA and HP explained between 36 % and 42 % of the total variance of the individual ERP peak amplitude ( the largest deflection of the difference wave at a time window of 150 - 375 ms ) at different scalp locations . In the discriminant function analyses , GA and HP as classifying variables differentiated infants in whom the peak of the difference wave had positive polarity from those with a negative polarity at an accuracy level ranging from 72 % to 91 % . These results demonstrate that during quiet sleep , maturational factors explain a significant portion of the ERP difference wave amplitude in terms of its polarity , indicating that the more mature the ERPs are , the more positive the amplitude . The present study suggests that maturational effects should be taken into account in ERP measurements using MMN paradigms with young infants
According to our findings , auditory event‐related potentials can help to predict neurodevelopmental outcome in preterms .
Both prospect i ve and cross‐sectional studies reported a relationship between AERPs and cognitive outcome .
Our results show that larger amplitudes and shorter latencies of late AERPs are related to better cognitive outcomes .
HIGHLIGHTSPreterm birth is associated with an elevated risk for neurodevelopmental deficits .
Auditory event‐related potentials can be used to assess early cognitive functioning .
This paper represents the first systematic review investigating the predictive power of AERPs on  cognition in preterms .
ABSTRACT Prematurity is a known risk factor for later cognitive deficits .
At present there are neither behavioral nor neurological tests available to detect those preterm infants who would benefit most from early interventions .
Neurophysiologic methods , and more specifically , auditory event‐related potentials ( AERPs ) are convenient tools to investigate early cognitive functioning .
However , the capability of AERPs as a prognostic factor for mental development in preterm infants remains unclear .