Adolescent anxiety and aggression can be differentially predicted by electrocortical phase reset variables

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Computational Psychiatry

Background:

• Behavioral dysregulation, including internalizing (anxiety) and externalizing (aggression) problems, is linked to atypical brain region communication.
• Electroencephalography (EEG) measures neural communication through synchronized electrical activity, with phase resetting (locking and shifting) being crucial for information processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between EEG phase shifting and locking in the alpha frequency band and behavioral measures of aggression and anxiety in adolescents.
• To explore developmental changes in brain signal synchrony and their association with behavioral phenotypes.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state EEG data were collected from typically developing adolescents aged 12-15 years.
• Phase shift and phase lock values in the alpha frequency band were calculated for 14 electrode pairs.
• Aggression and anxiety composite measures were used to correlate with EEG synchrony metrics.

Main Results:

• Adolescents' aggression levels positively correlated with alpha phase shifting, particularly in the low alpha range and over the left hemisphere.
• Anxiety levels positively correlated with alpha phase locking across both hemispheres.
• These associations, especially for anxiety, were not explained by traditional EEG coherence measures.

Conclusions:

• EEG phase shifting and locking are sensitive, non-invasive markers associated with aggression and anxiety in adolescents.
• These measures may offer novel insights into the neural underpinnings of clinically relevant behaviors beyond traditional coherence.
• The findings highlight the importance of dynamic neural communication patterns in understanding developmental behavioral problems.