The development of theta and alpha neural oscillations from ages 3 to 24 years

Dillan Cellier; Justin Riddle; Isaac Petersen; Kai Hwang

doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100969

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The development of theta and alpha neural oscillations from ages 3 to 24 years

Journal article

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The development of theta and alpha neural oscillations from ages 3 to 24 years

Dillan Cellier, Justin Riddle, Isaac Petersen and Kai Hwang

Developmental cognitive neuroscience, Vol.50, 100969

05/2021

DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100969

PMCID: PMC8249779

PMID: 34174512

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100969View

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Abstract

[Display omitted] •Canonical EEG analyses conflate neural oscillations with the aperiodic signal.•From early childhood to adulthood, the aperiodic signal flattens in slope.•Dominant posterior oscillations shift from theta to alpha around 7 to 8 years old.•Theta oscillations transition from posterior dominant to anterior dominant with age. Intrinsic, unconstrained neural activity exhibits rich spatial, temporal, and spectral organization that undergoes continuous refinement from childhood through adolescence. The goal of this study was to investigate the development of theta (4-8 Hertz) and alpha (8-12 Hertz) oscillations from early childhood to adulthood (years 3 to 24), as these oscillations play a fundamental role in cognitive function. We analyzed eyes-open, resting-state EEG data from 96 participants to estimate genuine oscillations separately from the aperiodic (1/f) signal. We examined age-related differences in the aperiodic signal (slope and offset), as well as the peak frequency and power of the dominant posterior oscillation. For the aperiodic signal, we found that both the aperiodic slope and offset decreased with age. For the dominant oscillation, we found that peak frequency, but not power, increased with age. Critically, early childhood (ages 3 to 7) was characterized by a dominance of theta oscillations in posterior electrodes, whereas peak frequency of the dominant oscillation in the alpha range increased between ages 7 and 24. Furthermore, theta oscillations displayed a topographical transition from dominance in posterior electrodes in early childhood to anterior electrodes in adulthood. Our results provide a quantitative description of the development of theta and alpha oscillations.

development

aperiodic signal

peak frequency

Alpha oscillations

EEG

theta oscillations

Details

Title: Subtitle: The development of theta and alpha neural oscillations from ages 3 to 24 years
Creators: Dillan Cellier - University of Iowa, Psychological and Brain Sciences
Justin Riddle - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Department of Psychiatry, United States
Isaac Petersen - University of Iowa, Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Kai Hwang - University of Iowa, Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Developmental cognitive neuroscience, Vol.50, 100969
DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100969
PMID: 34174512
PMCID: PMC8249779
NLM abbreviation: Dev Cogn Neurosci
ISSN: 1878-9293
eISSN: 1878-9307
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Grant note: DOI: 10.13039/100009633, name: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Language: English
Date published: 05/2021
Academic Unit: Psychiatry; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Center for Social Science Innovation
Record Identifier: 9984084133502771

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