A comparative study of EEG functional and effective connectivity patterns in children with learning difficulties during reading and math tasks.

Introduction: This study utilized electroencephalography (EEG) to compare brain functional and effective connectivity patterns in children with reading difficulties (RD) and math difficulties (MD) during specific tasks. The aim was to identify neurophysiological distinctions between these two learning disorders, which often exhibit high comorbidity.

Methods: Data from a publicly available dataset of 28 children (11 RD, 17 MD) aged 7-13 years were analyzed. Functional connectivity was quantified using the weighted Phase Lag Index (wPLI), and effective connectivity was assessed with the Directed Transfer Function (DTF).

Results: Functional connectivity analysis revealed significant group differences. The RD group showed significantly higher beta band synchronization in the right temporal lobe compared to the MD group. Conversely, the MD group exhibited significantly greater connectivity in the frontal lobe's delta band and the parietal lobe's theta band. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between the groups regarding effective connectivity.

Discussion: These findings highlight specific task-related brain functional connectivity differences between reading and math learning difficulties, suggesting potential compensatory mechanisms in RD and cognitive control challenges in MD. The lack of significant effective connectivity findings may be attributed to the small sample size, which is a key limitation of the study. This research emphasizes the need for larger samples, refined task designs, and multimodal neuroimaging in future studies.