Longitudinal fNIRS analysis demonstrates earlier habituation timing across infancy, indicating rapid maturation of auditory processing during the first year of life.
Key Points
Determine whether functional change point detection can characterize trial-specific hemodynamic response changes and identify developmental shifts in habituation timing across infancy.
Evaluated fNIRS data from infants in rural Gambia tested longitudinally at 5, 8, and 12 months during an auditory habituation and novelty detection paradigm.
Applied functional change point detection and weighted ordinal regression to identify and track trial-by-trial decreases in hemodynamic response amplitudes.
Significant hemodynamic change points were identified in auditory cortical areas, with a high proportion corresponding to response amplitude decreases at 8 and 12 months.
Weighted ordinal regression revealed an age-related shift toward earlier change points, showing that 12-month-old infants habituate earlier in the trial sequence than younger infants.