TY - JOUR
T1 - Steady-state visual evoked potentials in children with neurofibromatosis type 1
T2 - associations with behavioral rating scales and impact of psychostimulant medication
AU - Lalancette, Eve
AU - Charlebois-Poirier, Audrey Rose
AU - Agbogba, Kristian
AU - Knoth, Inga Sophia
AU - Jones, Emily J.H.
AU - Mason, Luke
AU - Perreault, Sébastien
AU - Lippé, Sarah
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to give special thanks to all of our participants ant their families. We also thank Marguerite Nolin for her assistance in the recruitment of participants and during EEG acquisitions, as well as all team members at the Neurosciences of Early Development Laboratory. Finally, we thank the team at the Neurofibromatosis clinic at CHU Sainte-Justine for their collaboration in the recruitment of participants. We also want to acknowledge the financial support of our funding sources cited in the “Funding” section.
Funding Information:
We would like to give special thanks to all of our participants ant their families. We also thank Marguerite Nolin for her assistance in the recruitment of participants and during EEG acquisitions, as well as all team members at the Neurosciences of Early Development Laboratory. Finally, we thank the team at the Neurofibromatosis clinic at CHU Sainte-Justine for their collaboration in the recruitment of participants. We also want to acknowledge the financial support of our funding sources cited in the “Funding” section.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder often associated with cognitive dysfunctions, including a high occurrence of deficits in visuoperceptual skills. The neural underpinnings of these visuoperceptual deficits are not fully understood. We used steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) to investigate possible alterations in the synchronization of neural activity in the occipital cortex of children with NF1. Methods: SSVEPs were measured using electroencephalography and compared between children with NF1 (n = 28) and neurotypical controls (n = 28) aged between 4 and 13 years old. SSVEPs were recorded during visual stimulation with coloured icons flickering at three different frequencies (6 Hz, 10 Hz, and 15 Hz) and analyzed in terms of signal-to-noise ratios. A mixed design ANCOVA was performed to compare SSVEP responses between groups at the three stimulation frequencies. Pearson’s correlations with levels of intellectual functioning as well as with symptoms of ADHD, ASD and emotional/behavioral problems were performed. The impact of psychostimulant medication on the SSVEP responses was analyzed in a subset of the NF1 group (n = 8) with paired t-tests. Results: We observed reduced signal-to-noise ratios of the SSVEP responses in children with NF1. The SSVEP responses were negatively correlated with symptoms of inattention and with symptoms of emotional/behavioral problems in the NF1 group. The SSVEP response generated by the lowest stimulation frequency (i.e., 6 Hz) was rescued with the intake of psychostimulant medication. Conclusions: Impaired processing of rhythmic visual stimulation was evidenced in children with NF1 through measures of SSVEP responses. Those responses seem to be more reduced in children with NF1 who exhibit more symptoms of inattention and emotional/behavioral problems in their daily life. SSVEPs are potentially sensitive electrophysiological markers that could be included in future studies investigating the impact of medication on brain activity and cognitive functioning in children with NF1.
AB - Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder often associated with cognitive dysfunctions, including a high occurrence of deficits in visuoperceptual skills. The neural underpinnings of these visuoperceptual deficits are not fully understood. We used steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) to investigate possible alterations in the synchronization of neural activity in the occipital cortex of children with NF1. Methods: SSVEPs were measured using electroencephalography and compared between children with NF1 (n = 28) and neurotypical controls (n = 28) aged between 4 and 13 years old. SSVEPs were recorded during visual stimulation with coloured icons flickering at three different frequencies (6 Hz, 10 Hz, and 15 Hz) and analyzed in terms of signal-to-noise ratios. A mixed design ANCOVA was performed to compare SSVEP responses between groups at the three stimulation frequencies. Pearson’s correlations with levels of intellectual functioning as well as with symptoms of ADHD, ASD and emotional/behavioral problems were performed. The impact of psychostimulant medication on the SSVEP responses was analyzed in a subset of the NF1 group (n = 8) with paired t-tests. Results: We observed reduced signal-to-noise ratios of the SSVEP responses in children with NF1. The SSVEP responses were negatively correlated with symptoms of inattention and with symptoms of emotional/behavioral problems in the NF1 group. The SSVEP response generated by the lowest stimulation frequency (i.e., 6 Hz) was rescued with the intake of psychostimulant medication. Conclusions: Impaired processing of rhythmic visual stimulation was evidenced in children with NF1 through measures of SSVEP responses. Those responses seem to be more reduced in children with NF1 who exhibit more symptoms of inattention and emotional/behavioral problems in their daily life. SSVEPs are potentially sensitive electrophysiological markers that could be included in future studies investigating the impact of medication on brain activity and cognitive functioning in children with NF1.
KW - Electroencephalography
KW - Inattention symptoms
KW - Neurofibromatosis type 1
KW - Psychostimulant medication
KW - Steady-state visual evoked potentials
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85134612664&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s11689-022-09452-y
DO - 10.1186/s11689-022-09452-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 35869419
AN - SCOPUS:85134612664
SN - 1866-1947
VL - 14
JO - Journal Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
JF - Journal Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
IS - 1
M1 - 42
ER -