Pérez-Elvira Rubén, Oltra-Cucarella Javier, Carrobles José Antonio, Teodoru Minodora, Bacila Ciprian, Neamtu Bogdan
Neuropsychophysiology lab., NEPSA Rehabilitación Neurológica, 37003 Salamanca, Spain.
Department of Health Psychology, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, 03202 Elche, Spain.
Brain Sci. 2021 Jan 28;11(2):167. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11020167.
Learning disabilities (LDs) have an estimated prevalence between 5% and 9% in the pediatric population and are associated with difficulties in reading, arithmetic, and writing. Previous electroencephalography (EEG) research has reported a lag in alpha-band development in specific LD phenotypes, which seems to offer a possible explanation for differences in EEG maturation. In this study, 40 adolescents aged 10-15 years with LDs underwent 10 sessions of Live Z-Score Training Neurofeedback (LZT-NF) Training to improve their cognition and behavior. Based on the individual alpha peak frequency (i-APF) values from the spectrogram, a group with normal i-APF (ni-APF) and a group with low i-APF (li-APF) were compared in a pre-and-post-LZT-NF intervention. There were no statistical differences in age, gender, or the distribution of LDs between the groups. The li-APF group showed a higher theta absolute power in P4 ( = 0.016) at baseline and higher Hi-Beta absolute power in F3 ( = 0.007) post-treatment compared with the ni-APF group. In both groups, extreme waves (absolute Z-score of ≥1.5) were more likely to move toward the normative values, with better results in the ni-APF group. Conversely, the waves within the normal range at baseline were more likely to move out of the range after treatment in the li-APF group. Our results provide evidence of a viable biomarker for identifying optimal responders for the LZT-NF technique based on the i-APF metric reflecting the patient's neurophysiological individuality.
学习障碍（LDs）在儿科人群中的患病率估计在5%至9%之间，与阅读、算术和写作方面的困难有关。先前的脑电图（EEG）研究报告称，特定LD表型的α波段发育存在滞后，这似乎为EEG成熟度的差异提供了一种可能的解释。在本研究中，40名10至15岁患有LDs的青少年接受了10次实时Z分数训练神经反馈（LZT-NF）训练，以改善他们的认知和行为。根据频谱图中的个体α峰值频率（i-APF）值，在LZT-NF干预前后，对正常i-APF（ni-APF）组和低i-APF（li-APF）组进行了比较。两组在年龄、性别或LDs分布方面没有统计学差异。与ni-APF组相比，li-APF组在基线时P4处的θ绝对功率较高（ = 0.016），治疗后F3处的高β绝对功率较高（ = 0.007）。在两组中，极端波（绝对Z分数≥1.5）更有可能向正常值移动，ni-APF组的结果更好。相反，li-APF组中基线时处于正常范围内的波在治疗后更有可能移出该范围。我们的结果提供了证据，表明基于反映患者神经生理个体性的i-APF指标，可为LZT-NF技术识别最佳反应者提供一种可行的生物标志物。
