Infant EEG and Event-Related Potentials

Infancy is a time of rapid growth, when brain plasticity is at a maximum. Event-related potentials (ERPs) are one of the few methods that can easily and safely be used to study this process, and have led to exciting discoveries about human brain functioning and the neural basis of cognition. Over recent years, there has been a massive rise in the level of interest in ERPs and this book considers the advantages which they offer to researchers and clinicians. In particular, it looks at the benefits of this form of neuroimaging as a non-invasive tool for detecting impairments in brain and cognitive development very early in life. The potential use of ERPs for clinical settings is also explored in detail. The contributions are all from eminent researchers in the field and represent the latest thought on the topic. Infant EEG and Event-Related Potentials explains the basics of event-related potentials for those less familiar with the procedures and terminology, as well as offering a valuable handbook of the latest theories and empirical findings for those working in the field. This will be a valuable source for those interested in developmental psychology and neuropsychology, and for clinicians interested in application of ERPs.

M. de Haan, Introduction to ‘Infant EEG and Event-related Potentials’. T. deBoer, L.S. Scott, C.A. Nelson, Methods for Acquiring and Analysing Infant Event-Related Potentials. D.L. McCulloch, Visual Evoked Potential in Infants. M. de Haan, M. Johnson, H. Halit, Development of Face-Sensitive Event-Related Potentials During Infancy. M. de Haan, Visual Attention and Recognition Memory in Infancy. M. Cheour, Development of Mismatch Negativity (MMN) in Infancy. D.L. Molfese, V.J. Molfese, N.L. Pratt, The Use of Event-Related Evoked Potentials to Predict Developmental Outcomes. R. de Regnier, Auditory Recognition Memory in Infancy. P.J. Marshall, N.A. Fox, Infant EEG and ERP in Relation to Social and Emotional Development. T.A. Stroganova, E.V. Orekhova, EEG and Infant States. G. Csibra, M.H. Johnson, Investigating Event-Related Oscillations in Infancy. M. de Haan, Future Directions in Infant Electrophysiology. J. Cownie, Glossary of Terms.

Michelle de Haan is a Senior Lecturer at the University College London Institute of Child Health and Honorary Neuropsychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust. She obtained her PhD in child psychology and neuroscience from the University of Minnesota in 1996. Her current research focuses on understanding the roles of brain development and life experience in normal and atypical development of memory and of perception of social information.