Anne Masi, Cheryl Dissanayake, Tasha Alach, Kate Cameron, Kathryn Fordyce, Grace Frost, Rachel Grove, Helen Heussler, Natalie Silove, Rhylee Sulek, Madonna Tucker, Katrina Williams, Valsamma Eapen
Clinical outcomes and associated predictors of early intervention in autism spectrum disorder: a study protocol
BMJ open
determine influence morning meal complex mental functions children 811 timefrequency analyses applied electroencephalographic eeg activity recorded children solved simple addition problems overnight fast either eaten skipped breakfast power low frequency eeg activity 2 hertz hz bands 212 hz range determined recordings frontal parietal brain regions associated mathematical thinking mental calculation correctly answered problems analyses adjusted background variables known influence reflect development mathematical skills ie age measures math competence math fluency relative fed children continued fast showed greater power increases upper theta 68 hz alpha bands 810 hz 1012 hz across sites increased theta suggests greater demands working memory increased alpha may facilitate taskessential activity suppressing nontaskessential activity fasting children also greater delta 24 hz greater lowertheta 46 hz power left frontal recordingsindicating regionspecific emphasis working memory mental calculation theta activation processes suppress interfering activity delta fed children also showed significant increase correct responses children continued fast taken together findings suggest neural network activity involved processing numerical information functionally enhanced performance improved children eaten breakfast whereas greater mental effort required mathematical thinking children skip breakfast