Slow wave maturation on a visual working memory task

• Published in: Brain and cognition Vol. 88; pp. 43 - 54
• Main Authors: BARRIGA-PAULINO, Catarina I, RODRIGUEZ-MARTINEZ, Elena I, ROJAS-BENJUMEA, Ma Ángeles, GOMEZ, Carlos M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier 01.07.2014
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - physiology; Child; Child development; Developmental psychology; Electroencephalography; Evoked Potentials, Visual - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Learning. Memory; Male; Memory; Memory, Short-Term - physiology; Neuropsychological Tests; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Visual Perception - physiology; Young Adult; Human; Visual memory; Delay Match-to-Sample task; Central nervous system; Slow Wave; Electrophysiology; Cognition; Experimental study; Working Memory Test Battery for Children; Encephalon; School age; Adolescent; Young adult; Development; Perception; Cognitive development; Working memory; Child; Event evoked potential; Working Memory
• ISSN: 0278-2626; 1090-2147
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2014.04.003

The purpose of the present study is to analyze how the Slow Wave develops in the retention period on a visual Delayed Match-to-Sample task performed by 170 subjects between 6 and 26 years old, divided into 5 age groups. In addition, a neuropsychological test (Working Memory Test Battery for Children) was correlated with this Event Related Potential (ERP) in order to observe possible relationships between Slow Wave maturation and the components of Baddeley and Hitch's Working Memory model. The results showed a slow negativity during the retention period in the posterior region in all the age groups, possibly resulting from sustained neural activity related to the visual item presented. In the anterior region, a positive slow wave was observed in the youngest subjects. Dipole analysis suggests that this fronto-central positivity in children (6-13 years old) consists of the positive side of the posterior negativity, once these subjects only needed two posterior dipoles to explain almost all the neural activity. Negative correlations were shown between the Slow Wave and the Working Memory Test Battery for Children, indicating a commonality in assessing Working Memory with the Slow Wave and the neuropsychological testing.