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Electrocorticography to Investigate Age-Related Brain Lateralization on Pediatric Motor Inhibition
Chao-Hung Kuo1,2,3,4, Kaitlyn Casimo5, Jing Wu6
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Insights
This study used electrocorticography to show that high-gamma power in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) is crucial for response inhibition in children. Findings reveal age-related lateralization of this neural activity to the right IFG.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Response inhibition is critical for goal-directed behavior, involving the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and its executive control over motor outputs.
- Understanding the pediatric development of response inhibition is essential for identifying typical and atypical developmental trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the pediatric development of response inhibition using subdural electrocorticography (ECoG).
- To investigate age-related changes in neural activity within the IFG and motor cortex during a Go/No-Go task in children.
Main Methods:
- Subdural ECoG recordings were obtained from eight pediatric patients during a child-optimized Go/No-Go task.
- Neural activity, including theta, beta, and high-gamma (HG) power, and phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) in the IFG and motor cortex were analyzed.
- Age-related analyses compared power ratios and PAC values between Go and No-Go conditions.
Main Results:
- High-gamma (HG) power was significantly higher in No-Go trials compared to Go trials in the IFG for all pediatric patients.
- Theta and HG power in the IFG were elevated during No-Go conditions versus Go conditions, particularly on the right side (p < 0.05).
- Age-related lateralization of HG power and PAC from bilateral to right IFG was observed.
Conclusions:
- The study provides direct cortical evidence of the role of the IFG in pediatric response inhibition.
- Neural activity in the IFG, especially HG power, is vital for suppressing inappropriate actions in children.
- Observed age-related lateralization to the right IFG during response inhibition aligns with previous fMRI findings.
Abstract:
Response inhibition refers to the ability to suppress inappropriate actions that interfere with goal-driven behavior. The inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) is known to be associated with inhibition of a motor response by assuming executive control over motor cortex outputs. This study aimed to evaluate the pediatric development of response inhibition through subdural electrocorticography (ECoG) recording. Subdural ECoG recorded neural activities simultaneously during a Go/No-Go task, which was optimized for children. Different frequency power [theta: 4-8 Hz; beta: 12-40 Hz; high-gamma (HG): 70-200 Hz] was estimated within the IFG and motor cortex. Age-related analysis was computed by each bandpass power ratio between Go and No-Go conditions, and phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) over IFG by using the modulating index metric in two conditions. For all the eight pediatric patients, HG power was more activated in No-Go trials than in Go trials, in either right- or left-side IFG when available. In the IFG region, the power over theta and HG in No-Go conditions was higher than those in Go conditions, with significance over the right side (p < 0.05). The age-related lateralization from both sides to the right side was observed from the ratio of HG power and PAC value between the No-Go and Go trials. In the pediatric population, the role of motor inhibition was observed in both IFG, with age-related lateralization to the right side, which was proved in the previous functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. In this study, the evidence correlation of age and response inhibition was observed directly by the evidence of cortical recordings.
