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Differences in neurophysiological resting-state alpha spectral events in 4-12-year-old children with prenatal
D Roberts1, F T Candelaria-Cook1, D Mun1
1The Mind Research Network and Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Insights
Age and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) impact alpha brain wave characteristics. Longer alpha event durations correlate with higher mean alpha power, but this relationship is affected by age and PAE.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
Background:
- Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), impacting neurodevelopment.
- Alpha oscillations are crucial for cognitive functions like attention.
- Understanding how age and PAE affect alpha power parameters is vital for identifying neurodevelopmental markers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of age and PAE on the underlying parameters of mean alpha power.
- To examine the relationship between alpha event characteristics and mean alpha power in relation to age and PAE/FASD.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to analyze alpha events (7-13 Hz).
- Key parameters measured included event spectral power, event count, event duration, and frequency span.
- 82 typically developing controls (TDCs) and 53 participants with PAE/FASD were included.
Main Results:
- Age negatively correlated with mean alpha event duration in both groups.
- Mean alpha power was positively associated with mean event duration in both groups.
- Prenatal alcohol exposure altered the relationship between mean alpha power and event duration/frequency span compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Age and PAE significantly influence alpha event characteristics.
- Alpha oscillations show potential as biomarkers for attention-related deficits in children with PAE.
- These findings offer insights into the physiological correlates of attention in neurodevelopment.
Objective:
To investigate the effects of age and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on the constituent parameters underlying mean alpha power.
Methods:
Resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) alpha events were characterized by measuring event spectral power, number of events per epoch, duration of events, and frequency span within the alpha band (7-13 Hz) in 82 typically developing controls (TDCs) and 53 participants with PAE/FASD. We examined the relationship between these parameters and overall mean alpha power as well as how they differ with age and PAE/FASD.
Results:
Age negatively correlated with mean event duration in both groups, (r = -0.29, p < 0.001) with duration reduced in older participants. Age negatively correlated with mean alpha power's association with mean event duration in PAE/FASD (r = -0.38, p < 0.05) and positively correlated with mean alpha power's association with mean event frequency span in both groups (r = 0.22, p < 0.05). The correlation between mean alpha power and mean event duration (p = 0.038) was stronger in TDCs. Despite the group difference, longer event durations led to more mean alpha power in both groups. Mean alpha power negatively correlated with mean event frequency span in both groups but the negative correlation was stronger in the TDC group (p = 0.036) CONCLUSION: The differences found in alpha events with age and PAE may provide valuable insights into the physiological correlates of attention and highlight the potential of alpha oscillations as biomarkers for understanding attention-related deficits in children with prenatal alcohol exposure.
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