Abstract 126: Wharton’s Jelly Induces Osteogenesis In An Alveolar Cleft Model

PURPOSE: There is growing evidence that nonsyndromic craniosynostosis (NSC) is associated with functional disabilities in learning and language. To further characterize the neurocognitive changes associated with this condition, we have used auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) to study language acquisition in NSC infants. Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an ERP component that has been used to predict language acquisition in childhood. It indexes perceptual narrowing, the behavioral and neural process of experience-driven discrimination and specialization for phonemes encountered by an infant (native) versus those that are unfamiliar (non-native); atypical perceptual narrowing has been associated with language delays. Infants with sagittal NSC (SSO) have previously demonstrated significantly attenuated MMN, a potential biomarker for abnormal phonetic processing and impaired language acquisition in NSC. This research aims to extend our study to patients with metopic craniosynostosis (MSO) and to compare the MMN component between different forms of NSC.