Increased integration of functional connectivity after cognitiveintervention in preschoolers from low socioeconomic status

PIETTO, MARCOS L.; GIOVANNETTI, FEDERICO; SEGRETIN, M. SOLEDAD; KAMIENKOWSKI, JUAN; LIPINA, SEBASTIAN J.

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

American Psychological Asssociation

Lugar: Washington DC; Año: 2023

0012-1649

To our knowledge, no studies have examined the impact of cognitive intervention on organizational properties of functional connectivity in children. Thus, the question of whether an EF-based intervention impacts the whole-brain pattern of connectivity in a developmental period remains to be addressed. In the present study, we extend previous results and evaluate the impact of the intervention included in a previous on functional connectivity during resting state. To achieve this, we implement graph theoretical analyses and examine whether cognitive training of EF-demanding tasks impacts functional segregation and integration. Given that EFs would benefit from specialized and distributed processes, we expect to find increased segregation and integration indices in children participating in EF-related activities. Also, we examine whether the training-related effects are different between the two performing groups. However, we do not expect to find specific results because intervention effects could be similar or different between groups as a function of some combination of factors related to baseline performance and training activities. Finally, considering our previous findings, we verify whether training-related gains on brain activity are larger in the low- or high-performing group, depending on the dimension of EEG signal evaluated (i.e., ERP vs. EEG connectivity). Given that ERP and EEG connectivity would capture a distinct space fraction of brain processing, it would be possible to find different impact outcomes between the two groups.