The interrelation between sensorimotor abilities, cognitive performance and individual EEG alpha peak frequency in young children

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the interrelation between sensorimotor abilities, cognitive performance and individual alpha peak frequency (iAPF), an EEG marker of global architectural and functional properties of the human brain, in healthy preschool children.

Methods: 25 participants completed a one minute eyes-closed EEG recording, two cognitive tests assessing processing speed and visual working memory and a sensorimotor test battery.

Results: We found positive correlations between selective sensorimotor abilities and iAPF; however, no significant correlations were observed between iAPF and cognitive performance. Specifically, locomotor skills correlated with iAPF across all cortical regions, except for the occipital cortex. Furthermore, a close relationship was found between sensorimotor and cognitive performance indicating that children with improved sensorimotor abilities were faster and/or more accurate in cognitive task performance. The cumulative pattern of our results indicates that a close relationship exists between sensorimotor and cognitive performance in young children. However, this relationship is dissociated from the iAPF.

Conclusion: In contrast to adults, in young children the iAPF is related to locomotor skills and not to cognitive processing speed or visual working memory function.

Significance: The global architectural and functional properties of the brain are closely related to locomotor skills during development.

Keywords: Brain; Childhood; Cognition; Development; Locomotion; Motor coordination.