An event-related potential investigation of spatial attention orientation in children trained with mental abacus calculation

作者：Liu, Xiaoqin; Sun, Yanchao^*

来源：NeuroReport, 2017, 28(1): 35-41.

DOI：10.1097/WNR.0000000000000705

• children
• electroencephalogram
• event-related potential
• mental abacus calculation training
• visuospatial attention

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of long-term mental abacus calculation training (MACT) on children's spatial attention orientation. Fifteen children with intensive MACT (MACT group) and 15 children without MACT (non-MACT group) were selected. The two groups of children were matched in age, sex, handedness, and academic grade. The participants were tested with a Posner spatial cueing task while their neural activities were recorded with a 32-channel electroencephalogram system. The participants' behavior scores (reaction time and accuracy) as well as early components of event-related potential (ERP) during the tests were statistically analyzed. The behavioral scores showed no significant difference between the two groups of children, although the MACT group tended to have a shorter reaction time. The early ERP components showed that under valid cueing condition, the MACT group had significantly higher P1 amplitude [F(1, 28)= 5.06, P< 0.05, effective size= 0.72] and lower N1 amplitude [F(1, 28)= 6.05, P< 0.05, effective size= 0.82] in the occipital region compared with the non-MACT group. In the centrofrontal brain region, the MACT group had lower N1 amplitude [F(1, 28)= 4.89, P< 0.05, effect size= 0.70] and longer N1 latency [F(1, 28)= 6.26, P< 0.05, effect size= 0.80] than the non-MACT group. In particular, the MACT group also showed a higher centrofrontal P2 amplitude in the right hemisphere [F(1, 28)= 4.82, P< 0.05, effect size 0.81] compared with the left hemisphere and the middle location. MACT enhances the children's spatial attention orientation, which can be detected in the early components of ERP.

• 出版日期2017-1-1
• 单位潍坊医学院