CNS Maturation Process in Children and Adolescents in the Northern Region of the Russian Federation and Its Reflection in the Dynamics of Integral EEG Parameters

• Published in: Neuroscience and behavioral physiology Vol. 52; no. 3; pp. 383 - 394
• Main Authors: Rozhkov, V. P., Trifonov, M. I., Soroko, S. I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-03-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescents; Age; Autumn; Behavioral Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain research; Children; EEG; Lability; Neural networks; Neurobiology; Neurosciences; Physiology; Structure-function relationships; Teenagers; Russia; children and adolescents; development; EEG structure function; North; brain
• ISSN: 0097-0549; 1573-899X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11055-022-01252-0

We present here results from analysis of the formation of brain bioelectrical activity in children and adolescents living in the northern region of Russia based on evaluation of integral multichannel EEG parameters. A total of 33 boys and 32 girls aged 7–18 years studying at rural schools took part in the study. The study was run in two stages, each of which consisted of autumn and spring sessions. EEG recordings were made and used to build the structure function and compute the generalized spectrum, along with integral parameters characterizing the temporal (0 ≤
Pt
≤ 1) and spatial (0 ≤
Ps
≤ 1) connectivity of EEG processes. The limiting values of these parameters (0, 1) correspond to the cases of the spatial or temporal organization of the EEG being either completely ordered or completely random. Decreases in
Ps
were found with increasing age, evidencing increases in spatial connectivity of EEG processes in students from younger to older grades. Conversely,
Pt
increased with age, characterizing a decrease in the time scale of connectivity and the inertia of EEG processes, and could reflect an increase in the level of functional mobility (lability) of the CNS with increasing age. Assessments of the age-related dynamics of integral EEG parameters in northern schoolchildren were found to depend on season (autumn–spring) and the contingent of subjects selected.