[Assessing Regulatory Components of the Cognitive Performance in Children Aged 5-10 with EEG Patterns of the Limbic...

This study represents the results of interdisciplinary (EEG and neuropsychological) examination of the limbic system non-optimal functioning influence on the cognitive activity regulation in 5-6, 7-8, 9-10-year- old children. Neuropsychological measures of cognitive activity regulation were compared between groups: children with EEG patterns of the limbic structures nonoptimal functioning (group 1); children without deviated EEG patterns (group 2); children with EEG patterns of the fronto-thalamic system nonoptimal func-. tioning (group 3). It was shown that children with EEG patterns of the limbic system non-optimal functioning, regardless of their age, demonstrate emotional and motivational deficits comparing with two other groups and, first of all, poor emotional and motivational regulation. Seven-to-eight-year-old children of experimental group have severe difficulties in understanding and recognizing other people's emotions and intentions. Children aged 5-6 of the same group were the only who demonstrated deficit of different executive functions. Children at the age 5-8 had low energy to fully complete the task, poor concentration and slow cognitive processing speed. However, those manifestations considered to be nonspecific for the poor limbic functioning and expand to the cases with the fronto-thalamic non-optimal functioning.