Foox, G. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

Perspectives in conducting task-based research in pediatric surgical epilepsy patients

ObjectivePediatric epilepsy patients undergoing stereo-electroencephalography (sEEG) for ictal onset evaluation provide a rare window to study the developing brain. While methodological frameworks for task-based sEEG research are well-established in adults, pediatric-specific guidance remains underdeveloped. Furthermore, many pediatric epilepsy patients have comorbidities that might typically exclude them from participating in research. We examine factors that influence research participation and discuss considerations for conducting sEEG research in children. MethodsHere, we present a retrospective analysis of task-based research participation patterns from an NIH-funded study of speech and language representations (1R01DC018579) in 66 patients (ages 4-24) undergoing sEEG monitoring at Texas Childrens Hospital to determine whether specific comorbidities influenced research participation. ResultsEighty-nine percent (n=66) of patients approached for consent agreed to participate in the study. Despite high rates of comorbidities including neurocognitive disorder (66.67%), language delay (31.75%), global developmental delay (23.81%), mood disorders (33.33%), ADHD (46.03%), autism spectrum disorder (14.29%) or other cognitive/intellectual disabilities (36.51%), all participants engaged in at least one task. While the majority of these diagnoses did not appear to influence subject participation, global developmental delay was associated with a significant reduction in time spent on active tasks. DiscussionDespite high prevalence of neuropsychological comorbidities among participants, our evidence suggests that these participants contribute meaningfully to studies investigating important developmental questions. We suggest strategies for tailoring task-based research to accommodate the unique needs of individuals in this population. Such practices are important for ensuring that research studies reflect the true diversity of the population.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Human auditory cortex preferentially tracks speech over music without explicit attention

Our brains constantly filter incoming sounds to understand our environment. While extensively studied in adults, how this ability develops across childhood remains unclear. We recorded intracranial brain activity from 54 participants aged 4-21 while they watched movie clips containing simultaneous speech and music. We used deep neural networks to separate the mixed audio into isolated speech and music streams, then built encoding models to determine which stream best predicted neural responses in the auditory cortex. Although participants heard only the original mixture with no instruction to attend to either stream, higher-order auditory regions including the superior temporal gyrus (STG), superior temporal sulcus (STS) and middle temporal gyrus (MTG), responded preferentially to speech. This speech-bias strengthened with age in STG, suggesting that this region progressively sharpens its representation of socially relevant sound across development. These findings indicate that speech prioritization in the developing brain emerges automatically, without directed attention.

neuroscience↗