Models for Preterm Cortical Development Using Non Invasive Clinical EEG.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Biology
• Comparative Physiology

Background:

• Preterm cortical development requires robust animal models.
• Non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) is crucial for monitoring brain activity in developing subjects.
• Understanding species-specific EEG patterns aids in translational research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the piglet and mouse as viable models for studying preterm cortical development.
• To identify distinct EEG patterns indicative of physiological brain development stages.
• To compare EEG network activity patterns between species.

Main Methods:

• Development of miniaturized Ag/AgCl electrodes for full-band EEG in mice.
• Non-invasive EEG recordings in piglets and mice across different age groups (P0/P1, P3/P4, P13/P14).
• Analysis of EEG power bands, phase locking, power spectral density, interhemispheric coherence, and phase amplitude coupling (PAC).

Main Results:

• Clear age-dependent differences in EEG power, phase locking, and spectral density were observed in mice.
• Interhemispheric coherence emerged in two-week-old mice.
• Consistent phase amplitude coupling (PAC) patterns were identified during development in both piglets and mice.

Conclusions:

• Piglets and mice serve as effective models for preterm cortical development research.
• Network activity analysis, particularly PAC, is well-suited for extracting cross-species EEG patterns of cortical development.
• EEG network metrics provide valuable insights into physiological brain maturation.