Fronto-central N200 lateralization during cue-dependent attentional orienting and response control in children with...

Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is characterized by persistent mathematical learning difficulty and may also involve weaknesses in domain-general cognitive control. We examined whether children with DD differed from typically developing (TD) children in the fronto-central hemispheric patterns of cue-related attention and response control. The sample comprised 143 children aged 6-11 years, including 71 with DD and 72 TD children. During a cue-dependent continuous performance task, cue-phase P200/N200 responses were contrasted between Cue and Uncue events, and target-phase responses between Go and Nogo events. Mean amplitudes were analyzed over left (F3/C3) and right (F4/C4) clusters. The two N200 Condition × Hemisphere × Developmental Group interactions were Holm-adjusted. During the cue phase, N200 modulation differed by hemisphere and developmental group, F(1, 139) = 4.866, adjusted p = .029, with a stronger right-sided Uncue-Cue effect in DD. During the target phase, the Nogo-Go N200 effect also differed by developmental group and hemisphere, F(1, 139) = 7.262, adjusted p = .016. TD children showed a left-frontocentral condition effect, whereas DD children showed a right-frontocentral effect. P200 did not show the developmental-group-related lateralization pattern observed for N200. Children with DD made fewer correct Go responses and responded more slowly than TD children; older DD children also made more false alarms. These findings indicate an altered scalp distribution of condition-related N200 modulation in DD rather than a uniform reduction in early ERP activity. Together, the ERP and behavioral findings support a broader difference in coordinating cue use, conflict monitoring, and response control in children with DD.