McDevitt Kara L, Gartstein Maria A
Department of Psychology, Washington State University, PO Box 644820, Pullman, WA 99164-4820, USA.
Department of Psychology, Washington State University, PO Box 644820, Pullman, WA 99164-4820, USA.
Brain Cogn. 2025 Aug;188:106333. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106333. Epub 2025 Jun 28.
Microstates are brief, stable states of spatial topography that are measured with electroencephalography (EEG) and thought to capture whole-brain activation patterns. EEG microstates have been associated with functional networks measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in adult populations. Microstate analysis offers a unique opportunity to measure brain activity, capturing whole-brain dynamics with superior temporal sensitivity as infants engage in cognitive and emotionally salient tasks. Additionally, comparison of microstates between infants and the adult literature provide insight into functional network emergence and development. The current study examined microstates in 61 infants (ages 6-12 months) utilized a wakeful resting task in addition to laboratory tasks designed to elicit cognitive and emotional responses. The EEG microstate topographies and parameters were compared within these tasks and across activities. It was hypothesized that microstates would be extracted from infant EEG data, with resting (or baseline) topographies providing replication of previous work (Brown & Gartstein, 2023). It was hypothesized that the experimental tasks would produce four microstates similar in topography to the resting task, eliciting a calm/alert state, and that parameters would differ within and across tasks depending on the underlying functional networks needed to process information specific to each activity. Similar topographies were found across tasks and were consistent with the adult literature. Topographies and parameters differed in comparisons within and across tasks consistent with the associated functional networks. These findings point to the usefulness of microstate analysis in measuring emotional processing and cognition and how these emerge as a function of brain development.
微状态是空间地形的短暂稳定状态，通过脑电图（EEG）进行测量，被认为能够捕捉全脑激活模式。在成年人群中，EEG微状态已与通过功能磁共振成像（fMRI）测量的功能网络相关联。微状态分析提供了一个独特的机会来测量大脑活动，当婴儿进行认知和情感突出任务时，以卓越的时间敏感性捕捉全脑动态。此外，比较婴儿与成人文献中的微状态，有助于深入了解功能网络的出现和发展。本研究对61名6至12个月大的婴儿进行了微状态研究，除了设计用于引发认知和情感反应的实验室任务外，还采用了清醒静息任务。在这些任务中以及不同活动之间比较了EEG微状态地形图和参数。研究假设是，微状态将从婴儿EEG数据中提取，静息（或基线）地形图将复制先前的研究成果（Brown & Gartstein，2023）。研究假设还包括，实验任务将产生四种与静息任务地形相似的微状态，引发平静/警觉状态，并且参数将根据处理每种活动特定信息所需的潜在功能网络在任务内和任务间有所不同。在不同任务中发现了相似的地形图，且与成人文献一致。地形图和参数在任务内和任务间的比较中存在差异，这与相关的功能网络一致。这些发现表明微状态分析在测量情绪处理和认知以及它们如何作为大脑发育的函数出现方面的有用性。
