Mike Anderson

Understanding the development of the brain’s neural networks can reveal critical insights into the cognitive changes that occur from infancy to late childhood. Behavioural metrics including: task accuracy, stimuli recognition, and reaction time show dramatic changes over childhood. In this study we investigated response control using the Erikson Flanker task. In a dataset of 45 EEG recordings, we calculated spectral coherence to measure connectivity between all possible electrode pairs. Coherence measures were performed on two different trial conditions –congruent (where there is no response conflict) and incongruent (where response conflict is induced). The increase in incongruent coherence compared to the congruent was investigated for each electrode pair over 45 healthy subjects aged seven years. The same calculation was then performed on the same group of subjects two years later when they were aged nine years. The results revealed that at age seven years, increased coherence was detected in the left prefrontal to right and left parieto-occipital – i.e. an anatomical region located between the parietal and occipital lobes - within theta band. No increase was found for the older group-at age nine years- which may indicate cognitive development in conflict processing mechanism.

Assessing cognitive development in children is of paramount importance in understanding the development of critical neural pathways of the brain. In particular, recognition of stimuli, task accuracy and response time are key features that can inform on stages of brain cognition with respect to age and within age group differences. In this study we investigate neurophysiological responses of the Eriksen Flanker task - an experimental paradigm for assessing attention and cognition - in middle childhood ages (seven-nine years). We analyse EEG data in two age groups: 45 healthy subjects aged seven years with a follow-up study on the same subjects at age nine years. We examine spectral coherence - a method for analysing the correlation between electrode pairs - for all possible combination of pairs. Comparisons of coherence values based on Flanker task conditions (incongruent versus congruent) were assessed in each age group. Consequently, these assessments were used as indicators to the cognitive conflict induced by Flanker incongruent stimuli. For both age groups (seven and nine years) inter-hemispherical coherence increased in the right hemisphere. Moreover, the older children showed less Flanker conflict compared with children aged seven years, especially within the theta band. This decrease in the effect of the cognitive conflict may indicate age-related cognitive developments.