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Brain Activity and Cognitive Status in Pediatric Patients: Development of a Clinical Assessment Protocol

Department of Pediatrics Dalhousie University School of Medicine, jbyrne{at}iwksgrace.ns.ca

John F. Connolly, PhD

Department of Psychology Dalhousie University

Shannon E. MacLean, MSc

Psychological Services IWK Grace Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada

Tricia L. Beattie, BA

Psychological Services IWK Grace Health Centre, Halifax, NS, Canada

Joseph M. Dooley, MB

Department of Pediatrics Dalhousie University School of Medicine

Kevin E. Gordon, MD

Department of Pediatrics Dalhousie University School of Medicine

The purpose of this study was to test the validity of a new computerized task to assess children's cognitive problem-solving skills using the brain event-related potentials. This event-related potential-computerized cognitive problem-solving task does not require a child to give a verbal or motor (ie, pointing) response. The event-related potential waveforms were recorded from 20 typically developing children. Two nonverbal, problem-solving tasks (tasks 1 and 2) were developed for each of two age groups (5 and 6 years). For each task, single pictures, taken from an existing standardized test of nonverbal problem solving, were individually and sequentially presented on a computer screen. One of the seven pictures was classified as incongruent or outside category; it did not belong with the other pictures. As predicted, the event-related potential amplitudes were significantly larger to the outside- versus within-category pictures. This effect was found for tasks 1 and 2 for the 5- and 6-year-old children. Children as young as 5 years of age reliably exhibit brain activity, which can be used to infer cognitive problem-solving skill. This assessment paradigm may eventually serve as a clinically useful adjunct to a thorough neurologic and neurodevelopmental assessment of selected pediatric populations, such as those presenting with moderate-severe cerebral palsy whose expressive language and motor skills are notably impaired. (J Child Neurol 2001;16:325-332).

Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 16, No. 5, 325-332 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/088307380101600504


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