Adolescents with learning disorders have atypical EEG correlation indices. I. Correlation indices during visual discrimination

Objective: To find out whether 14–16-year-old pupils with visual perception disabilities have atypical EEG activation patterns during visual discrimination. Methods: EEG correlation indices (EEGCIs), based on the waveform characteristics of two EEG signals, were used as measures of slow joint activation of cortical regions during visual discrimination in pupils with visual perception disabilities. Results: During visual discrimination low EEGCIs were seen between the left temporal and both parieto-occipital EEG channels in pupils with visual perception disabilities and in pupils with a poor occupational outcome. The pupils with low performance intelligence and those with difficulties in the visual discrimination task had low EEGCIs within the left hemisphere. The left hemispheric dominance of the findings is suggested to reflect the psychophysiology of the task since visual discrimination demands attention to details (local processing) and is thus supposed to be more strongly represented in the left hemisphere. Conclusions: During visual discrimination, low EEGCIs were seen in the posterior and left hemispheric regions of pupils with disabilities in visual perception and visual discrimination and with a poor occupational outcome. Significance: Low EEGCIs in posterior and left hemispheric regions during visual discrimination can to some extent be seen as neurophysiological markers for visual perception disabilities and a poor occupational outcome and imply an increased need for adjustment of the educational curriculum and a need for occupational guidance.