Visual Neural Dynamics of Adolescents with Myopia During Face Inversion: An ERP and Oscillatory Study.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Myopia's impact on early event-related potential (ERP) components and neural oscillations during facial processing in adolescents remains unclear.
• Investigating these effects can clarify how visual input degradation influences facial encoding and neural regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how myopia affects early ERPs (P1, N1) and neural oscillations (θ, α bands) during a face inversion task in adolescents.
• To understand the neural mechanisms underlying facial structural encoding and dynamic regulation in adolescent myopia.

Main Methods:

• EEG signals were recorded from 48 adolescents (24 myopia, 24 normal vision) performing an upright-inverted face recognition task.
• Mixed-design ANOVA compared P1 and N1 component amplitudes and latencies between groups.
• Time-frequency analyses assessed task-related θ (4-7 Hz) and α (8-13 Hz) band oscillatory power.

Main Results:

• The myopia group exhibited significantly longer N1 latency compared to controls (p=0.049).
• Adolescents with myopia showed greater θ synchronization (p=0.034) and α desynchronization (p=0.018) in early post-stimulus periods.
• A typical face inversion effect (FIE) was observed, with reduced N1 amplitude and longer latency for inverted faces.

Conclusions:

• Adolescent myopia is associated with delayed neural processing in facial encoding and altered θ-α oscillatory activity.
• These neural changes may indicate altered early neural engagement due to degraded visual input.
• Myopia's effects extend beyond optical defocus, influencing perceptual-cognitive integration and revealing neurodevelopmental characteristics of adolescent myopia.