Default mode network connections supporting intra-individual variability in typically developing primary school children: An EEG study.

Abstract

Objective: Intraindividual variability in response time (RT) provides information about attention abilities beyond accuracy and mean RT. It could be an endophenotype for a wide range of clinical disorders and a general marker of neurological health or maladaptation. The default mode network (DMN) and the central executive and the salience networks (CEN ϩ SN) support response stability in adults. The aim of this study was to explore the associations of resting-state connectivity of the DMN and the CEN ϩ SN with lapses of attention in typically developing primary schoolchildren. Method: RT variability was measured by RT standard deviation in the self-paced Stroop-like Animal Size Test in 137 children aged 6 -11 years. Electrophysiological signatures of the DMN and the CEN ϩ SN were obtained using a seed-based oscillatory power envelope correlation in conjunction with beamformer spatial filtering. Results: Statistical nonparametric mapping showed that RT variability was positively associated with connectivity between the DMN and the posterior insula and the right temporal cortex (P FWE-corr Ͻ .006), suggesting that a greater focus of self-reflective internal attention may be associated with obstructed transition to an active processing mode. RT variability was negatively associated with connectivity between the DMN and the anterior cingulate and the anterior insula (P FWE-corr ϭ .001) overlapping with the SN, which handles top-down cognitive regulation. These associations were specifically found for the anterior DMN seed in the medial prefrontal cortex, which is involved in emotion and motivational circuits. Conclusions: Default network connectivity supporting RT variability may be involved in the development of internalizing and externalizing problems in childhood. Key PointsQuestion: Does the organization of brain networks at rest support behavioral stability in typically developing primary schoolchildren? Testing via electrophysiological signatures of networks. Findings: Greater response time variability was associated with stronger default mode network connectivity with surrounding structures and weakening of cooperation between the default mode network This article was published Online First September 14, 2020.

Fast changes in default and control network activity underlying intraindividual response time variability in childhood: Does age and sex matter?

“…It is possible that at 9.5 years of age, the segregation of neural networks reached the threshold for supporting response stability, so that additional increases of the TPN–DMN balance would not improve it. The finding of age threshold for the associations of RTV with the interplay between TPN and DMN task‐induced changes may partly explain contradictory results with regard to the associations of RTV with TPN–DMN interplay at rest, which are negative in children (Barber et al., 2015; Privodnova et al., 2020) and positive in adults (Kelly et al., 2008).…”

“…The current paper is a part of a larger project concerning neural underpinnings of RTV in children. In our previous study, we used resting-state EEG data from the same experiment to examine whether resting-state connectivity of the DMN, CEN, and SN nodes predisposes to subsequent behavioral variability (Privodnova et al, 2020).…”

“…The current paper is a part of a larger project concerning neural underpinnings of RTV in children. In our previous study, we used resting‐state EEG data from the same experiment to examine whether resting‐state connectivity of the DMN, CEN, and SN nodes predisposes to subsequent behavioral variability (Privodnova et al., 2020). We found that RTV as measured by RT standard deviation and RT coefficient was positively correlated with resting‐state connectivity between the DMN and the posterior insula and the right temporal cortex and was negatively correlated with resting‐state connectivity between the DMN and SN nodes.…”

“…Due to gradual maturation during childhood, the networks may be linked to RTV in different ways at different ages. For this reason, data analysis in RTV research is usually performed statistically controlling for age (Barber et al., 2015, Privodnova et al., 2020, Tamnes et al., 2012; Owens et al., 2020). However, no studies to date have directly investigated the age effects.…”

Global slowness and increased intra-individual variability are key features of attentional deficits and cognitive fluctuations in post COVID-19 patients

“…IIV reflects both trial-by-trial fluctuations and day-to-day variations in cognitive performances 20 . IIV in response time provides information about attention abilities beyond accuracy and mean RTs 44 . It is considered an endophenotype for a wide range of clinical disorders and a general marker of neurological health or maladaptation 45 .…”