# Resting State Electroencephalography (EEG) Reveals Atypical Oscillatory Power in Children With Development Coordination Disorder (DCD)

## TL;DR

This study finds that children with developmental coordination disorder have atypical brain activity in resting states, showing lower alpha and higher delta power, which may explain their motor impairments.

## Contribution

The study is the first to examine resting-state EEG in children with DCD, revealing novel insights into intrinsic neural activity differences.

## Key findings

- Children with DCD showed significantly lower alpha power and higher delta power compared to typically developing controls.
- Motor functioning in DCD correlated with resting-state alpha and delta power, but not in the control group.
- The findings suggest suboptimal neural regulation in DCD, potentially linked to motor impairments.

## Abstract

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) present with clinically significant motor impairments. Previous research indicates altered brain activity in DCD during the completion of motor and cognitive tasks, but little is known about intrinsic or spontaneous neural activity in children with the disorder. To address this gap, this study examined resting‐state electroencephalography (EEG) in 31 children with DCD and 52 age‐matched typically developing (TD) controls in both eyes‐open and eyes‐closed conditions. The mean age of the sample was 9.5 years (SD = 2.4; range 5.1–14.8). Differences in resting‐state oscillatory power between the two groups were examined in delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands. Children with DCD exhibited significantly lower alpha power and higher delta power compared to the TD children in both resting state conditions. No significant differences were found in other frequency bands. Further analyses revealed that individual differences in motor functioning correlated with resting‐state alpha and delta power for the DCD, but not control group. These results suggest that intrinsic brain activity is affected in children with DCD. It is proposed that reduced alpha power and elevated delta power in DCD indicate heightened neural excitability and suboptimal neural homeostatic regulation, which may be related to the motor problems in the disorder.

We used resting‐state EEG to examine intrinsic brain activity in DCD. Children with DCD showed reduced resting‐state alpha power and elevated delta power. Resting‐state brain activity correlated with motor skills. Alpha and delta band differences might indicate suboptimal neural regulation in DCD.