242 Abstracts /International Journal
Institute of Special Education, Russian Academy of. Educa-
tion, Pogodinskaya st., 8, MOSCQW, 119121 Russia
It is known that attention deficit disorder (ADD), memory
disorder (MD) often co-occur in children with speech dis-
orders (SD). To assess neurobiological basis of these cognitive
disorders and their effects on the perception of visual infor-
mation, event related potentials (ERPs) to nonverbal (light
flash) and verbal (word and pseudoword) visual stimuli were
studied in 3 groups of 65-9 year-old children under involun-
tary or voluntary attention: (1) with SD and ADD, (2) with SD
and MD and (3) the normals.Using mapping of ERPs, signifi-
cant between-group differences were found in ERPs spatial-
temporal patterns (especially for N400 component of ERPs to
verbal stimuli and P200 component to light stimuli), which
also showed different dependence on attention level. The
result suggests that different neurophysiological mechanisms
of visuoperceptual processing are involved in the disorders
studied, which may be related to the undevelopment of either
system regulatory (in SD/ADD) or association (in SD/MD)
processes.
637 A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PROBABILIS-
TIC FORECASTING AND ORIENTATION RESPONSE
MECHANISMS IN CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DIS-
4BILITIES
2.1. Peresleni, L.A. Rozhkova*
nstitute of Special Education, Russian Academy of Educa-
ion, Pogodinskaya str. 8, Moscow, 119121 Russia
‘o better understand psychophysiological mechanisms of
:aming disabilities (LD), a comparative analysis of behavioral
haracteristics of probabilistic forecasting (determining the
rder of alternation of letters A and B in 3 regular sequences)
nd -orientation response (OR) characteristics was carried out
I 6, 5-9 year-old children with preferential attention deficit
m) or memory disorder (MD) as compared to normal sub-
cts. EEG at rest condition and OR electrocortical (arousal
:action, AR) and vegatative (skin galvanic reaction, SGR)
imponents were recorded during light flash presentation
rder voluntary or involuntary attention. The following
trameters were assesed: spectral characteristics of the back-
ound EEG, signs of CNS dysfunction, AR duration and
3R intensity in response to the first 3 stimuli. In all groups, a
trrelation between EEG and OR characteristics and fore-
sting efficiency was revealed. In children with LD (especially
th MD) low spectral power of alpha-rhythm and less
onounced OR components were found. AD was manifested
a greater number of distraction errors following correct
lution of prognostic task which correlated with less marked
: compared to the norm) reorganization of, the OR compo-
nts with an increase in stimulus significance. This may be
ated to the underdevelopment of corticofugal regulating
luences. In children with MD, slow forecasting and inability
of Psychophysiology300 (1998) 95-271
to recall the determined orders of letters alteration correlated
with low reactivity of cortical association areas which may
reflect air inadequacy in the trace and associative processes.
638 EFFECTS OF EARLY DEPRIVATION ON THE
FORMATION OF ACOUSTIC PERCEPTUAL MECHA-
NISMS
Z.S. Alyeva*
Institute of Special Education, Russian Academy of Educa-
tion, Pogodinskay st. 8, Moscow, 119121 Russia
Using electrophysiological (BERs and AERs registration) and
behavioural methods, different levels of the. acoustic system
were studied in children from 1 month to 16 years old.
Acoustic thresholds, dynamic range of the suprathresholds
reactivity, discomfort threshold and recruitment phenomena
were assesed. In severe hearing disorders, acoustic thresholds
were shown to increase in different ways; the thresholds tested
by means of behavioural reactions increased to the greatest,
degree,while those determined by means of BERs to the
slightest. No marked changes were revealed in the amplitude-
temporal parameters of acoustic EP basic components in
response to the increase in stimulus intensity. The number of
children with severe hearing disorders increased with age
(acoustic thresholds above 85 dB revealed in 15% of children
under 1 year old and in 73% of 15-16 year-old children). A
higher percentage of such subjects is found among acoustically
uneducated children. On the basis of the results obtained, a
concept is developed about greater sensitivity of the higher
levels of acoustic integration to deprivation.
639 LONG-TERM SENSORY DEPRIVATION EFFECTS
ON VISUAL A’I-I’ENTION
L.P. Grigorieva* , N.N. Zislina, M.E. Bemadskaya, V.V. Svech-
nikov
Institution of Special Education, Russian Academy of Educa-
tion, Pogodinskaya str., 8, Moscow, GSP3 Russia
The development of visual attention was studied in 6-12-
year-old normal and visually handicapped children as well in
children with associated visual and hearing disorders occur-
ring at an early age. Picture presentation and computerised
methods were used along with VEPs registration in the corti-
cal projection and association areas (14 leads) in response to
pattern stimuli. Using analysis of variance, some instability
and a decrease in concentration, span, switching speed, and
selectivity of voluntary attention were revealed in children
with mono- and bisensory deprivation as compared to the
normals. In low vision, positive (not negative, as in normal
children), VEP shifts were recorded within the interval of
100-300 ms in parietal areas, this indicating an inadequate
activation of these cortical areas. The findings may be related
 Abstracts /International Journal
to functional immaturity of the local activation mechanism
resulting in the underdevelopment of children’s voluntary
attention due to the long-term and severe sensory deficit.
640 INTEGRAL RECOGNITION OF OBJECTS AND
ANTICIPATION
L.P. Grigorieva*, V.V. Svechnikov
Institution of Special Education, Russian Academy of Educa-
tion, Pogodinskaya str., 8, Moscow, GSP3 Russia
Effects of age, sensory deprivation, and special perceptual
training on the ability to adequately and integrally recognise
incomplete figures were studies in 6-12-year old children with
severe visual disorders using E. Gollin incomplete figures test
(a flexible computerised version). Test figures consisted of
separate segments; the percentage of their appearance on the
screen constantly increased. Age-related decrease in the num-
ber of segments necessary for adequate integral recognition
was revealed in children with normal vision. This indicates
maturation of the interaction between functional structures
(probably, visual cortex modules) which describe separate
parts of the image within the standard. In low vision, positive
influence of the age on anticipating figure recognition was less
significant. It is suggested that long- term sensory deprivation
may result in functional immaturity of intracortical connec-
tions which manifests itself in the delayed formation of func-
tional systems responsible for anticipation. Special perceptual
training markedly improved incomplete figure recognition,
which may be related to the formation of cortical intercentral
integration switching on activation mechanisms and anticipa-
tion.
641 FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION OF PARTIALLY
SIGHTED CHILDREN’s BRAIN
V.A. Tolstova*
Institute of Special Education, Russian Academy of Educa-
tion, Pogodinskaya st. 8, Moscow, 119121 Russia
Power spectral density (PSD) and coherence function (Cob) of
various EEG frequency components were studied in 8-11-
year-old children with partial vision during quiet wakefulness
arid acoustic orientation response (OR).
In the background EEG of partially sighted children, a
dominance of alpha-activity power in the cortical anterior
central area, a marked drop in the density distribution of
alpha- activity equivalent sources in the occipital area, and a
decrease in intra- and interhemispheric Coh in the range of
7.5-10.5 Hz were found. A trend towards increasing Coh in the
adjacent and distant cortical areas in the range of 6-7 Hz and
11-16 Hz was revealed.
During OR, a narrowing of range of PSD and Coh dynamic
shifts was also found. An increase in Coh in various cortical
of Psychophysiology 30 (1998) 95-271 243
areas (especially, interhemispheric Cob in anterior temporal
regions) was more frequently observed in which greater num-
ber of EEG components were involved; PSD depression
prevaled in the left occipital area.
In general our data showed the following abnormalities: a
deteriorated maturation and differentiation of alpha-activity
sub-ranges related to visual function; decreased energy indices
of diffuse nonspecific activation due to a change in the mor-
phofunctional state of the brain mechanisms responsible for
sensory analysis and attention. At the same time, a compen-
satory increase in the role of alpha-components related to
tactuomotor performance, an increase in the role of high-
frequency alpha-components (11-16 Hz) in the brain functio-
nal organization were found out. More active involvement of
anterior and posterior association cortical areas were observed.
The left hemispheric dominance of activation reaction in
partially sighted children may indicate an enhanced signih-
came of the stimulus informative components in nondirectio-
nal attention.
642 ERP CORRELATES OF VISUAL FORM CLASSIFI-
CATION
T.G. Beteleva
Institute of Developmental Physiology, Russian Academy of
Education, Moscow, Russia
ERP correlates of image classification were studied in 7-year-
old children. Ellipse with different proportion of axes (“Sam-
ple” - 1: 3; “easy” - 1: 1.5; “difficult”- 1:1.16) was the basal
element of images. Classification was performed according the
large axis position - vertical or horizontal. The images were
randomly presented in the right or in the left visual fields
(RVF, LVF). Principal component analysis of ERPs to cor-
rectly sorted difficult images revealed the increase of negative
waves in the frontal (NlSO - time interval 140-160 ms), occipi-
tal and parietal (N180 - 170-200 ms) areas of the right hemi-
sphere as compared to sample. The increase of early negative
waves in ERPs for easy images was also observed but was not
significant. N180 in the right occipital area was also larger in
ERPs to correctly sorted images as compared to errors. It was
proposed that early components (140-200 ms) reflected the
processing of discriminative features. Contrary to the early
components the meaningful increase of N400 (time interval
350-400 ms) in the left temporo-parieto-occipital area was
observed for both easy and difficult images as compared to
sample. This component may be related to the classification
process which is based on the previously selected discrimina-
tive features. While the significant difference of classification
accuracy in LVF (84%) and in RVF (73%) was shown only for
easy images, the interhemispheric difference of ERPs was
revealed for correctly sorted sample, easy and difficult images.