Scalp EEG markers of normal infant development using visual and computational approaches

The infant brain is rapidly developing, and these changes are reflected in scalp electroencephalography (EEG) features, including power spectrum and sleep spindle characteristics. These biomarkers not only mirror infant development, but they are also altered by conditions such as epilepsy, autism, developmental delay, and trisomy 21. Prior studies of early development were generally limited by small cohort sizes, lack of a specific focus on infancy (0-2 years), and exclusive use of visual marking for sleep spindles. Therefore, we measured the EEG power spectrum and sleep spindles in 240 infants ranging from 0-24 months. To rigorously assess these metrics, we used both clinical visual assessment and computational techniques, including automated sleep spindle detection. We found that the peak frequency and power of the posterior dominant rhythm (PDR) increased with age, and a corresponding peak occurred in the EEG power spectra. Based on both clinical and computational measures, spindle duration decreased with age, and spindle synchrony increased with age. Our novel metric of spindle asymmetry suggested that peak spindle asymmetry occurs at 6-9 months of age.Clinical Relevance— Here we provide a robust characterization of the development of EEG brain rhythms during infancy. This can be used as a basis of comparison for studies of infant neurological disease, including epilepsy, autism, developmental delay, and trisomy 21.