Changes in frontal EEG coherence across infancy predict cognitive abilities at age 3: The mediating role of attentional control.

Abstract

Theoretical perspectives of cognitive development have maintained that functional integration of the prefrontal cortex across infancy underlies the emergence of attentional control and higher cognitive abilities in early childhood. To investigate these proposed relations, we tested whether functional integration of prefrontal regions across the second half of the first year predicted observed cognitive performance in early childhood indirectly through observed attentional control one year prior (N=300). Results indicated that greater change in left—but not right—frontal EEG coherence between 5- and 10-months was positively associated with attentional control, cognitive flexibility, receptive language, and behavioral inhibitory control. Specifically, a larger increase in coherence between left frontal regions was positively associated with accuracy on a visual search task at age 2; and visual search accuracy was positively associated with receptive vocabulary, performance on a set-shifting task (DCCS), and delay of gratification at age 3. Finally, the indirect effects from the change in left frontal EEG coherence to 3-year cognitive flexibility, receptive language, and behavioral inhibitory control were significant, suggesting that internally controlled attention is a mechanism through which early neural maturation influences children’s cognitive development.

Impaired Visual Search in Children with Rett Syndrome

“…These atypical scanning patterns may point to a larger problem. Given that attention is a multi-faceted construct, 9 and is foundational to many areas of cognitive growth, [10][11][12][13][14] we examined three core components of this domain: Sustained attention, maintaining focus on a target while ignoring distractors; 15 Disengagement of Attention, shifting focus while ignoring competing information (submitted);…”

Functional Brain Connectivity of Language Functions in Children Revealed by EEG and MEG: A Systematic Review

“…However, our results suggest that, before the first birthday, left lateralization is already apparent when a receptive language paradigm is performed (Asano et al, 2015). Moreover, a greater left connectivity before 5 years of age has been correlated with better language abilities (Mundy et al, 2003;Kikuchi et al, 2011;Kühn-Popp et al, 2016;Whedon et al, 2016). Thus, M/EEG research points toward an earlier implementation of left lateralization in language networks than was concluded from studies done with fMRI.…”

“…In healthy infants, few studies (n = 6) investigated the association between measures of coherence and later language abilities of preschoolers (Mundy et al, 2003;Marshall et al, 2008; Kikuchi (Yang et al, 2005). Specifically, between 5 and 10 months of age, an increase in resting-state EEG coherence in the theta-alpha band (6-9 Hz) within left frontal regions seems to be associated with higher cognitive functioning, including receptive language at 3 years of age (Whedon et al, 2016). This association, however, might not be specific to language functions because the authors reported a mediating influence of the level of attentional control at the age of 2 years.…”

“…The findings of most of the reviewed studies suggested that theta neural oscillations play a crucial role in healthy language development. In the theta band, a greater left restingstate coherence in early childhood seems to be associated with higher language functioning, either at the time of M/EEG recording (Kikuchi et al, 2011) or at a later age (Mundy et al, 2003;Kühn-Popp et al, 2016;Whedon et al, 2016). In older children (grade-schoolers to adolescents), associations between connectivity patterns and language abilities are not found only in theta, but in most frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, and beta).…”

Infant Electroencephalogram Coherence and Toddler Inhibition are Associated with Social Responsiveness at Age 4

“…There is evidence, however, that infant neuroconnectivity is related to later EF. For example, Whedon, Perry, Calkins, and Bell () reported that increases in left frontofrontal EEG coherence from 5 to 10 months were associated with better performance on attentional control task at 2 years, as well as EF and language tasks at 3 years. The link between early neuroconnectivity and later social development is less well studied, and the patterns appear to vary with electrode pair, hemisphere, and development.…”