Biology subjects

Wilkinson, C. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Wilkinson, C. L..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Demonstration of periodic and aperiodic EEG reliability between laboratory and clinic settings

Structured AbstractO_ST_ABSObjectiveC_ST_ABSTo facilitate the scalability of EEG research, this paper compares the data quality and evaluates the absolute agreement of EEG features between laboratory and clinic settings. MethodsResting state EEG recordings were obtained from 36 participants (11 infants, 10 children, and 15 adults) from the waiting room of a primary care clinic and a laboratory. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC(2,1)) quantified the absolute agreement between laboratory and clinic settings for periodic power bands, alpha peak characteristics, and aperiodic components. The mean absolute difference (MAD) between laboratory and clinic recorded EEGs were calculated to describe signal consistency across settings. ResultsMore components were rejected from clinic-recorded EEGs, though data quality otherwise did not differ between settings. The ICC (2,1) for all EEG measures were generally in the good-to-excellent range across ages and regions of interest. The MAD decreased with age and was largest in the alpha frequency range. ConclusionsHigh quality EEG data can be collected from outpatient clinic settings among infants, children, and adults. There is high reliability in the parameterized periodic and aperiodic EEG features between laboratory and clinic settings. SignificanceFuture research may collect EEG datasets from naturalistic settings with confidence in their reliability relative to laboratory recordings.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2025

A human electrophysiological biomarker of Fragile X Syndrome is shared in V1 of Fmr1 KO mice and caused by loss of FMRP in cortical excitatory neurons

Predicting clinical therapeutic outcomes from preclinical animal studies remains an obstacle to developing treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders. Electrophysiological biomarkers analyzed consistently across species could bridge this divide. In humans, alpha oscillations in the resting state electroencephalogram (rsEEG) are altered in many disorders, but these disruptions have not yet been characterized in animal models. Here, we employ a uniform analytical method to show in males with fragile X syndrome (FXS) that the slowed alpha oscillations observed in adults are also present in children and in visual cortex of adult and juvenile Fmr1-/y mice. We find that alpha-like oscillations in mice reflect the differential activity of two classes of inhibitory interneurons, but the phenotype is caused by deletion of Fmr1 specifically in cortical excitatory neurons. These results provide a framework for studying alpha oscillation disruptions across species, advance understanding of a critical rsEEG signature in the human brain and inform the cellular basis for a putative biomarker of FXS.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Longitudinal trajectories of aperiodic EEG activity in early to middle childhood

BackgroundEmerging evidence suggests that aperiodic EEG activity may follow a nonlinear growth trajectory in childhood. However, existing studies are limited by small assessment windows and cross-sectional samples that are unable to fully capture these patterns. The current study aimed to characterize the developmental trajectories of aperiodic activity longitudinally from infancy to middle childhood. We examined potential trajectory differences by sex and brain region. We further investigated whether aperiodic activity is associated with maternal anxiety symptoms, and whether these associations vary because of differential development trajectories. MethodsA community sample of children and their parents (N=391) enrolled in a longitudinal study of emotion processing were assessed at infancy, and at ages 3 years, 5 years, and 7 years. Analyses included individual growth curve and mixed effect models. Developmental trajectories of the aperiodic slope and offset were investigated across whole brain, frontal, central, temporal, and posterior regions. Associations of whole brain slope and offset with maternal anxiety symptoms were also examined. ResultsDevelopmental trajectories for both slope and offset were generally characterized by a relative increase in early childhood and a subsequent decrease or stabilization by age 7, with variation by brain region. Females showed relatively steeper slopes at some ages, and males showed relatively greater offset at certain ages. Maternal anxiety was negatively associated with slope at 3 years and positively associated with slope at 7 years. ConclusionsThe longitudinal developmental trajectory of aperiodic slope in early childhood is nonlinear and shows variation by sex and brain region. The magnitude and direction of associations with maternal anxiety varied by age, corresponding with changes in trajectories. Developmental stage should be considered when interpreting findings related to aperiodic activity in childhood.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Developmental trajectories of EEG aperiodic and periodic power suggest timing of thalamocortical development during infancy.

The development of neural circuits has long-lasting effects on brain function, yet our understanding of early circuit development in humans remains limited. Here, periodic EEG power features and aperiodic components were examined from longitudinal EEGs collected from 592 healthy 2-44 month-old infants, revealing age-dependent nonlinear changes suggestive of distinct milestones in early brain maturation. Consistent with the transient developmental progression of thalamocortical circuitry, we observe the presence and then absence of periodic alpha and high beta peaks across the three-year period, as well as the emergence of a low beta peak (12-20Hz) after six months of age. We present preliminary evidence that the emergence of the low beta peak is associated with higher thalamocortical-dependent, anesthesia-induced alpha coherence. Together, these findings suggest that early age-dependent changes in alpha and beta periodic peaks may reflect the state of thalamocortical network development.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Reduced frontal gamma power at 24 months is associated with better expressive language in toddlers at risk for autism

Gamma oscillations have been associated with early language development in typically developing toddlers, and gamma band abnormalities have been observed in individuals with ASD, as well high-risk infant siblings (those having an older sibling with autism), as early as 6-months of age. The current study investigated differences in baseline frontal gamma power and its association with language development in toddlers at high versus low familial risk for autism. EEG recordings as well as cognitive and behavioral assessments were acquired at 24-months as part of prospective, longitudinal study of infant siblings of children with and without autism. Diagnosis of autism was determined at 24-36 months, and data was analyzed across three outcome groups - low risk without ASD (n=43), high-risk without ASD (n=42), and high-risk with ASD (n=16). High-risk toddlers without ASD had reduced baseline frontal gamma power (30-50Hz) compared to low-risk toddlers. Among high-risk toddlers increased frontal gamma was only marginally associated with ASD diagnosis (p=0.06), but significantly associated with reduced expressive language ability (p=0.007). No association between gamma power and language was present in the low-risk group. These findings suggest that differences in gamma oscillations in high-risk toddlers may represent compensatory mechanisms associated with improved developmental outcomes.

neuroscience↗