Changes in Functional Coupling between Neural Networks in the Brain during Maturation Revealed by Omega Complexity

Abstract

To study age-dependent changes in coupling between cortical neural networks we applied a new method (omega complexity) to determine overall coherence of EEGs of 34 subjects ranging in age from 3 months to 16 years. We found that the functional coupling between different brain regions is low at birth and increases significantly in the first two decades of life. We suggest that this coupling depends critically upon the system of associational and callosal fibers which is unmyelinated at birth, and which only finishes myelinization in the second or third decade. Thus age-dependant changes in omega complexity may reflect maturation of brain structures underlying higher cerebral functions. If these results can be replicated, preferably in prospective, cohort rather than transectional type studies, omega complexity might prove to be clinically useful as an objective, quantitative measure of brain maturation.

Regional networks underlying interhemispheric connectivity: An EEG and DTI study in healthy ageing and amnestic mild cognitive impairment

“…During childhood and adolescence coherence increases nonlinearly [Marosi et al, 1992;Schmid et al, 1992;Stam et al, 2000;Thatcher, 1992]. These changes may reflect the maturation of brain organization through myelo-and synapto-genesis.…”

Increased Omega Complexity and Decreased Microstate Duration in Nonmedicated Schizophrenic Patients

“…⍀ reflects the degree of synchronization between spatially distributed processes as assessed by the structure of the covariance matrix. This method has been applied successfully in neurophysiological investigations such as cognitive processing [14] , sleep analysis [15] and brain maturation [16] in normal volunteers and has been used to assess brain cooperativity or complexity in neuropsychiatric diseases such as dementia of the Alzheimer type [17] and anorexia nervosa [18] .…”

Nonlinear and linear EEG complexity changes caused by gustatory stimuli in anorexia nervosa

“…high Omega indicates low synchrony between the different channels. This measure was used successfully for the analysis of EEG data concerned with sleep (Wackermann, 1999), pharmacology (Yagyu et al, 1997), motor activity (Stancak and Wackermann, 1998), psychopathology (Saito et al, 1998) and brain maturation (Stam et al, 2000). During data analysis, Omega complexity was calculated taking into account all electrodes as a global measure, but it was calculated separately of the left and of the right side also, as a regional measure.…”