Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2026
A Within-subjects Experimental Protocol to Assess the Effects of Social Input on Infant EEG
Published on: May 3, 2017
Timing of intervention affects brain electrical activity in children exposed to severe psychosocial neglect
Ross E Vanderwert1, Peter J Marshall, Charles A Nelson
1Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America.
Insights
Early institutional care impacts infant brain activity. Foster care intervention improved electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha power, especially when initiated before 24 months, indicating a sensitive period for recovery.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Early psychosocial deprivation significantly affects young children's brain activity.
- Institutionalized infants and children often exhibit altered electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns, including increased theta band power and decreased alpha and beta band power.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a foster care intervention on the brain electrical activity of children previously exposed to institutional care.
- To determine if the timing of placement into foster care influences recovery of EEG patterns.
Main Methods:
- Assessed brain electrical activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) in 8-year-old children.
- Compared EEG patterns of children who received foster care intervention with those who did not.
- Analyzed the relationship between age at placement into foster care and EEG outcomes.
Main Results:
- The foster care intervention successfully increased high-frequency electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha power.
- The positive effects on EEG alpha power were most significant for children placed in foster care before 24 months of age.
Conclusions:
- Age at placement is a critical factor in the recovery of brain electrical activity following early psychosocial deprivation.
- There appears to be a sensitive developmental period for mitigating the neurophysiological effects of institutionalization, after which recovery may be less likely.
Background:
Early psychosocial deprivation has profound effects on brain activity in the young child. Previous reports have shown increased power in slow frequencies of the electroencephalogram (EEG), primarily in the theta band, and decreased power in higher alpha and beta band frequencies in infants and children who have experienced institutional care.
Methodology/Principal Findings:
We assessed the consequences of removing infants from institutions and placing them into a foster care intervention on brain electrical activity when children were 8 years of age. We found the intervention was successful for increasing high frequency EEG alpha power, with effects being most pronounced for children placed into foster care before 24 months of age.
Conclusions/Significance:
The dependence on age of placement for the effects observed on high frequency EEG alpha power suggests a sensitive period after which brain activity in the face of severe psychosocial deprivation is less amenable to recovery.
