The evolution of complexity in human brain development: an EEG study
Abstract
Analysis of the EEG as a signal from a deterministic non-linear system should, in principle, allow insights into the complexity of underlying brain activity. We examined the capability of this method to analyse the marked changes in brain activity during normal brain development. Resting EEGs of 54 healthy children (newborns to 14 years old) and of 12 normal adults were recorded digitally. The following parameters were calculated: correlation dimension, a measure of the complexity of the underlying system, and the first Lyapunov coefficient, indicating the system's 'unpredictability'. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed with probands grouped by age. The subgroups of children older than 1 year was further examined by regression analysis. In all analysed epochs, Lyapunov coefficients were significantly positive (P < 0.0001. t-test). The presence of non-linear dynamics was asserted statistically in 64-76% of examined epochs. A highly significant increase in correlation dimension with age was found in all examined leads (P < 0.0001, ANOVA). In all age groups, marked differences in correlation dimension in different brain regions became evident (P < 0.01-0.0001, ANOVA). Evidence for the presence of non-linearity can be found even in newborns. Brain maturation was reflected in a marked and highly significant increase in correlation dimension (complexity). Our work indicates that non-linear dynamics analysis is suitable for measuring complexity of brain activity during maturation and provides age-dependent normal values as a basis for further study.
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Cognitive brain development is heteromodal.
“The heteromodal nature of cognitive brain development is evident from studies of neurocognitive performance (6, 7), functional imaging (functional MRI or positronemission tomography) (8–10), and electroencephalogram coherence studies (1, 2, 10).”
From Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthood (2004) · cites this paper as [10]
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Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthood
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- Authors
- Meyer-Lindenberg, A.
- Venue
- Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1996-11
- Volume
- 99
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 405-411
- ISSN
- 0013-4694 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2006892172
- Cited by
- 125
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 2.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Chaos control and synchronization
- Keywords
- EEG complexity, brain development, correlation dimension, Lyapunov exponents, nonlinear dynamics, brain maturation, resting-state EEG, children, neonates, regional brain differences
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Brain, Child, Child, Preschool, Electroencephalography, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Middle Aged
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