Gamma power in rural Pakistani children: links to executive function and verbal ability
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Published version
Date
2017-08-01
Authors
Tarullo, Amanda R.
Obradovic, Jelena
Keehn, Brandon
Rasheed, Muneera A.
Siyal, Saima
Nelson, Charles A.
Yousafzai, Aisha K.
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Published version
OA Version
Citation
Amanda R Tarullo, Jelena Obradovic, Brandon Keehn, Muneera A Rasheed, Saima Siyal, Charles A Nelson, Aisha K Yousafzai. 2017. "Gamma power in rural Pakistani children: Links to executive function and verbal ability." DEVELOPMENTAL COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, Volume 26, pp. 1 - 8 (8). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2017.03.007
Abstract
Children in low- and middle-income countries are at high risk of cognitive deficits due to environmental deprivation that compromises brain development. Despite the high prevalence of unrealized cognitive potential, very little is known about neural correlates of cognition in this population. We assessed resting EEG power and cognitive ability in 105 highly disadvantaged 48-month-old children in rural Pakistan. An increase in EEG power in gamma frequency bands (21–30 Hz and 31–45 Hz) was associated with better executive function. For girls, EEG gamma power also related to higher verbal IQ. This study identifies EEG gamma power as a neural marker of cognitive function in disadvantaged children in low- and middle-income countries. Elevated gamma power may be a particularly important protective factor for girls, who may experience greater deprivation due to gender inequality.
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© 2017 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.