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 .
Neurophysiologic correlates of deficient phonological representations and object naming in prematurely born children
OBJECTIVE The aim of this follow-up study was to evaluate the development of object naming ability and auditory processing in prematurely born children . Furthermore , we investigated whether the mismatch negativity ( MMN ) parameters at the age of 4 years correlate with the MMN parameters and naming ability at the age of 6 years . METHODS Twelve very low birth weight ( VLBW ) preterm children ( mean age 5 years 7 months ) and matched controls were studied . Object naming was measured by the Boston naming test  . Auditory event-related potentials ( ERPs ) , especially the MMN  , were recorded for Finnish syllables ( st and ard /taa/ ; deviants /ta/ and /kaa/ ) in an oddball paradigm . RESULTS VLBW preterm children scored significantly lower in the object naming test than their controls . The MMN amplitude for consonant change was significantly smaller in the preterm group compared to the controls . The MMN amplitude at the age of 4 years correlated with the MMN amplitude at the age of 6 years . Furthermore , absence of the MMN at the age of 4 years predicted naming difficulties at the age of 6 years . CONCLUSIONS VLBW preterm children with a difficulty to preattentively discriminate changes in syllables , as indexed by the diminished change detection response , MMN , seem to have sustained naming difficulty . Therefore , it is reasonable to record the MMN along with the language development from infancy , in order to identify the children at risk for language deficiencies and to provide appropriate rehabilitation
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 .