Cognitive Event-Related Potentials in Young Adults With Cerebral Palsy: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Abstract

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a movement and posture disorder often accompanied by cognitive difficulties which can be assessed using event-related potentials (ERPs), an often-overlooked tool in this population. Here we describe our assessment protocol, examine its feasibility, and validate the use of single-subject ERP analyses in adolescents and young adults with CP, an analysis approach which recognizes the heterogeneity of the clinical population. This study involved a final sample of 9 adolescents/young adults with CP participating in the “MyStory” study (age range 16-29 years, Mage = 25.0 years; 6 female; Gross Motor Function Classification System level I [n = 4], II [n = 2], III [n = 1], IV [n = 1], and V [n = 1]). ERP components were elicited over medial prefrontal and central cortex (error- and correct-related negativities [ERN/CRN], error-positivity [Pe], N100, P200, N200, P300), as well as those generated over occipital cortex (P100, N170). Group and single-subject ERP statistics were computed for ERPs recorded over both areas. Using recently developed data analysis methods (independent components analysis and robust bootstrapped single-subject statistics), we measured the number of participants demonstrating significant condition differences at the timing of each ERP component of interest. We demonstrate good validity for ERPs recorded during 2 of our 3 tasks eliciting frontal activation (eg, 4 of 6 participants with usable data showed a significant single-subject medial frontal negativity condition difference in a context-switching task) and good validity for ERPs derived from a task engaging occipital regions (eg, 8 of 9 participants each showed a significant N170 face-object condition effect).

The Impact of Social Stress on Cold and Hot Attention for Youth with Learning Disabilities: A Behavioural and ERP Investigation

“…This method allows for statistical comparison of two ERP waves across the full course of the ERP component instead of solely at a single largest point (i.e., a peak) on a wave. This method has been employed in a variety of ERP research examining differences between two groups or two conditions, such as investigations of feedback sensitivity in youth with high and low levels of worry (Heffer & Willoughby, 2020;2021), investigations of self-regulation in youth with low, medium, and high levels of childhood trauma (Lackner et al, 2018), and investigations of attention paid by youth with cerebral palsy to face versus nonface objects (Lackner et al, 2020). Thus, the present study will examine ERPs via both the traditional measurement of peak values as well as via group-level grand average waveform comparison, in order to capture attention and any group differences as completely as possible, as well as extend the use of this relatively new methodology to a novel youth neurodevelopmental sample.…”

Somatosensory Mismatch Response in Patients with Cerebral Palsy

“…Conducting ERP experiments would be particularly suitable for patients with CP, including young adults, considering potential challenges in concentration and attention span during tasks [35,36]. Mismatch-related ERP responses, in particular, provide an opportunity to look at cognitive processing even when a patient faces concentration deficit, as the patient does not need to focus on the task.…”