The maturation of cortical sleep rhythms and networks over early development.
Clin Neurophysiol 2013;
125:1360-70. [PMID:
24418219 DOI:
10.1016/j.clinph.2013.11.028]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Revised: 10/25/2013] [Accepted: 11/19/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
Although neuronal activity drives all aspects of cortical development, how human brain rhythms spontaneously mature remains an active area of research. We sought to systematically evaluate the emergence of human brain rhythms and functional cortical networks over early development.
METHODS
We examined cortical rhythms and coupling patterns from birth through adolescence in a large cohort of healthy children (n=384) using scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) in the sleep state.
RESULTS
We found that the emergence of brain rhythms follows a stereotyped sequence over early development. In general, higher frequencies increase in prominence with striking regional specificity throughout development. The coordination of these rhythmic activities across brain regions follows a general pattern of maturation in which broadly distributed networks of low-frequency oscillations increase in density while networks of high frequency oscillations become sparser and more highly clustered.
CONCLUSION
Our results indicate that a predictable program directs the development of key rhythmic components and physiological brain networks over early development.
SIGNIFICANCE
This work expands our knowledge of normal cortical development. The stereotyped neurophysiological processes observed at the level of rhythms and networks may provide a scaffolding to support critical periods of cognitive growth. Furthermore, these conserved patterns could provide a sensitive biomarker for cortical health across development.
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