title: Absolute Power Spectral Density Changes in the Magnetoencephalographic Activity During the Transition from Childhood to Adulthood.
abstract: The aim of this study was to define the pattern of reduction in absolute power spectral density (PSD) of magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals throughout development. Specifically, we wanted to explore whether the human skull's high permeability for electromagnetic fields would allow us to question whether the pattern of absolute PSD reduction observed in the human electroencephalogram is due to an increase in the skull's resistive properties with age. Furthermore, the topography of the MEG signals during maturation was explored, providing additional insights about the areas and brain rhythms related to late maturation in the human brain. To attain these goals, spontaneous MEG activity was recorded from 148 sensors in a sample of 59 subjects divided into three age groups: children/adolescents (7-14 years), young adults (17-20 years) and adults (21-26 years). Statistical testing was carried out by means of an analysis of variance (ANOVA), with "age group" as between-subject factor and "sensor group" as within-subject factor. Additionally, correlations of absolute PSD with age were computed to assess the influence of age on the spectral content of MEG signals. Results showed a broadband PSD decrease in frontal areas, which suggests the late maturation of this region, but also a mild increase in high frequency PSD with age in posterior areas. These findings suggest that the intensity of the neural sources during spontaneous brain activity decreases with age, which may be related to synaptic pruning.
authors.affiliation: Human Psychobiology Lab, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Sevilla, Seville, Spain. cgomez@us.es.
authors.forename: Carlos M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.affiliation: Human Psychobiology Lab, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Sevilla, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Elena I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Martínez
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Complutense University of Madrid and Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.|Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Complutense University of Madrid and Technical University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maestú
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering Group, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.|IMUVA, Instituto de Investigación en Matemáticas, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poza
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering Group, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gómez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Development; Electroencephalography; Magnetoencephalography; Power spectral density