It is generally accepted that the first few years of a child’s life are the tender, crucial phase of maturation for the rest of their lives. Neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity influence a child’s cognitive and other developmental skills, which are vital to their functions into adolescence and adulthood. Such phenomena occur within several brain regions as the child develops and matures, such as the prefrontal cortex with inhibitory control, resulting in a steady increase in skill proficiency and learning acquisition in domains such as academics, where a child may thrive dependent on their development. Early academic nurturing and achievement are ideal scenarios for a child’s future educational success and, as such, are viewed as critical areas of concern as they grow older. To evaluate the components of a child’s inclination to academic success, electroencephalography (EEG) may be used to measure and assess the neurodevelopment of cognitive and social skills. In an article titled “Relations between frontal EEG maturation and Inhibitory Control in Preschool in the prediction of children’s early academic skills” by Dr. Martha Ann Bell et al., the study employed EEG to measure a child’s resting state electroencephalogram activity from increases in frontal alpha power and its correlation to the development of inhibitory control, which is responsible for the ability to withdraw from engaging in impulsive or inappropriate behavior: factors important for acquiring skills in mathematics and reading. In a similar article by Dr. Supriya Bhavnani et al., titled “EEG signatures of cognitive and social development of preschool children–a systematic review,” the study underwent an alternative approach with EEG to measure the cognitive and social skills of children as they develop executive function, learning, memory, and the influences of age, gender, and socioeconomic status. To be able to determine the neurodevelopmental facilities of a child is an outstanding achievement, as it may allow future research to create interventions for those at risk for difficulties in academics due to a variety of factors, such as ADHD, giving hope to those to not be defined nor constrained by their dispositions beyond their control.
Dr. Bell’s research delved into the correlations between prefrontal cortex maturation and inhibitory control. It had been established that between the ages of 10 months and 3 years, prefrontal cortex maturation was observed through substantial increases in frontal alpha power, consistent with the cyclical periods of neurogenesis and synaptic pruning at this age range. The study also found that the resting frontal alpha power was positively correlated to inhibitory control; in further observation, Dr. Bell’s study concluded that children who demonstrate higher increases in frontal alpha power, or prefrontal maturation, often had higher inhibitory control once they were around 4 years old, the milestone when prefrontal cortex maturation declined in power values. The greater the values at age milestones, such as higher frontal alpha power from 10 months to 4 years, the greater the linguistic acquisition and comprehension, and by extension, skills in mathematics and reading. Interestingly enough, in the seminar featuring Dr. Bell, she explained that children with lower EEG alpha power values were later diagnosed with ADHD or other symptoms of ASD post-EEG examination, indicating that there is perhaps a biomarker in determining the likelihood for atypical neural development. While the research shows strong promise for determining the academic affinity in preschool and perhaps beyond from the developmental years of the age of a toddler to early childhood, Dr. Bell explains that limitations of early temperament, a parent’s education, and other socioeconomic factors were not necessarily accounted for in determining the maturation of their child.
In a separate collaborative study by Dr. Supriya Bhavnani et al., they were also interested in the academic potential of preschool children and the risks they may be vulnerable to as they mature, resulting from factors like age, gender, and socioeconomic circumstances. In this review, alpha power in the medial frontal region was also a component of EEG and event-related potential (ERP, or the brain response to a sensory, cognitive, or motor event that retrieves data from EEG recordings), providing insight into the measurement of tasks involving cognitive and social development. Like Dr. Bell’s study, this review found that age 4 was where strides in cognition, precisely executive function, excelled when experiencing rates of high maturation. Aside from EEGs, the study utilized a comprehensive series of tasks and stimuli to evaluate the cognition and social development of children aged 2-5 years, which shares a similar overlap with the age ranges of children in Dr. Bell’s experiment. After the investigation, the results of this study indirectly reinforce Dr. Bell’s findings and address the limitations of “Relations between frontal EEG maturation and Inhibitory Control in Preschool in the prediction of children’s early academic skills.”
The study by Dr. Bhavanani et al. observed developmental changes across the aims of age, gender, and socioeconomic status from cross-sectional EEG data from various age ranges. This notes the non-linear shift in maturation as the brain develops, with varying EEG markers reflecting changes in maturation and the growth of cognitive abilities with age. One study noted that there were no significant associations due to gender differences, thus ruling out gender as a contributing factor to cognition and social development, especially to academic success. Those that have high LPP (Late Positive Potential, a biomarker for emotional development) have demonstrated higher emotional self-regulation later in life, thus showing the factor in determining socio-emotional development. As for socioeconomic status differences, large amplitudes in delays within tasks such as auditory attention, executive function, and social-emotional stimuli reception were observed in low-SES children compared to high-SES, yet no observable differences were seen in other cognition tasks. The study explains its limitations in the inability to honestly evaluate the scope of SES but speculates that other studies show that low SES may correlate to delayed resting state and frontal lobe maturation, thus affecting inhibition control and academic success. In regards to social development, children, as they grow, become more receptive to positive and negative emotional and facial stimuli. As a whole, this study seeks to improve and access children who are at high risk for developing hurdles later in life in the pursuit of education to ensure they reach their full potential. However, more data and harmonization of future studies are required to thoroughly investigate the risk factors present in children across age, gender, and SES to properly create interventions.
Ultimately, both studies highlight a key concern and hope for the future for the next generation of children. With the intent to recognize and discern the variables that contribute and implicate facets of academic success rooted in cognition, social skills, and other factors related to growth, each study focuses on its own perspective through the usage of EEG to evaluate and assess children. Dr. Bell’s and Dr. Bhavnani’s research advocates for further empirical support of resources to help contribute to the maturation of a child’s vulnerable and inquisitive mind. In doing so, these children may achieve better academic performance and success in various ways later in life.
References:
Bhavnani, S., Lockwood Estrin, G., Haartsen, R., Jensen, S. K. G., Gliga, T., Patel, V., & Johnson, M. H. (2021). EEG signatures of cognitive and social development of preschool children-a systematic review. PloS one, 16(2), e0247223. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247223
Whedon, M., Perry, N. B., & Bell, M. A. (2020). Relations between frontal EEG maturation and inhibitory control in preschool in the prediction of children's early academic skills. Brain and cognition, 146, 105636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105636
