Developmental change in the resting state electroencephalogram: Insights into cognition and the brain

• Published in: Brain and cognition Vol. 126; pp. 40 - 52
• Main Authors: Anderson, Alana J., Perone, Sammy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.10.2018; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Brain; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive ability; Developmental biology; EEG; Electroencephalography; Life span
• ISSN: 0278-2626; 1090-2147; 1090-2147
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.08.001

•RS-EEG has been used widely across the lifespan in typical and atypical groups.•Power in RS-EEG decreases with age across most brain rhythms.•Power ratios reflect important individual differences related to cognition.•Psychosocial deprivation and socio-economic status influences developmental changes in RS-EEG. Resting state electroencephalography (RS-EEG) is a commonly used neurophysiological technique which provides a measure of brain activity when an individual is awake and not performing any assigned cognitive task. Because this relatively simple and non-invasive method is suitable for many ages and populations, a large and diverse literature has amassed. The focus of this review is to describe and synthesize RS-EEG literature across the lifespan while emphasizing the associations between RS-EEG and cognition. We also highlight contextual influences on RS-EEG, such as socioeconomic status and early deprivation. We conclude with a discussion of key insights into brain development and associated changes in cognition which we gathered during our review. We also identify gaps in the literature and areas of future research using RS-EEG that can advance our understanding of brain and cognitive development.