Neural Correlates of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Symptoms in Children: A Magnetoencephalography Study
<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Despite the growing recognition of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS), previously termed sluggish cognitive tempo, as a distinct dimension of psychopathology, the neural correlates of CDS remain largely unknown. We investigated the neural correlates of C...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Xiaoqian Yu Jing Xiang Jeffery N. Epstein Leanne Tamm Josalyn A. Foster Stephen P. Becker |
| author_facet | Xiaoqian Yu Jing Xiang Jeffery N. Epstein Leanne Tamm Josalyn A. Foster Stephen P. Becker |
| author_sort | Xiaoqian Yu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background/Objectives:</b> Despite the growing recognition of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS), previously termed sluggish cognitive tempo, as a distinct dimension of psychopathology, the neural correlates of CDS remain largely unknown. We investigated the neural correlates of CDS in children using whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG). <b>Methods</b>: A community-based sample of children (<i>N</i> = 43, ages 8–12 years) was recruited and completed self-report ratings of CDS. MEG was recorded while the children completed an adapted version of the attention network test (ANT). <b>Results</b>: The results indicated that higher levels of self-reported CDS symptoms were associated with larger changes in the root-mean square (ΔRMS) (incongruent—congruent trials) in M2 and M3, suggesting children with higher levels of CDS symptoms might require greater mental effort to overcome distractors during incongruent trials. The source localization analysis initially revealed a negative correlation between child self-reported CDS symptoms and ΔM2 power (incongruent—congruent trials) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), suggesting insufficient power allocation in a region critical for attentional processing. However, this association was no longer significant after controlling for ADHD status. No significant correlation was found between self-reported CDS symptoms and alerting or orienting. <b>Conclusions</b>: These findings provide initial evidence of the disrupted attentional processing associated with CDS in children. Further replication and extension with larger samples are warranted. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-c8f2990a065b425b9b8d755a0a7502f32025-08-20T03:27:15ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252025-06-0115662410.3390/brainsci15060624Neural Correlates of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Symptoms in Children: A Magnetoencephalography StudyXiaoqian Yu0Jing Xiang1Jeffery N. Epstein2Leanne Tamm3Josalyn A. Foster4Stephen P. Becker5School of Psychology, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou 325060, ChinaDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USADepartment of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USADepartment of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USASchool of Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USADepartment of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Despite the growing recognition of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS), previously termed sluggish cognitive tempo, as a distinct dimension of psychopathology, the neural correlates of CDS remain largely unknown. We investigated the neural correlates of CDS in children using whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG). <b>Methods</b>: A community-based sample of children (<i>N</i> = 43, ages 8–12 years) was recruited and completed self-report ratings of CDS. MEG was recorded while the children completed an adapted version of the attention network test (ANT). <b>Results</b>: The results indicated that higher levels of self-reported CDS symptoms were associated with larger changes in the root-mean square (ΔRMS) (incongruent—congruent trials) in M2 and M3, suggesting children with higher levels of CDS symptoms might require greater mental effort to overcome distractors during incongruent trials. The source localization analysis initially revealed a negative correlation between child self-reported CDS symptoms and ΔM2 power (incongruent—congruent trials) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), suggesting insufficient power allocation in a region critical for attentional processing. However, this association was no longer significant after controlling for ADHD status. No significant correlation was found between self-reported CDS symptoms and alerting or orienting. <b>Conclusions</b>: These findings provide initial evidence of the disrupted attentional processing associated with CDS in children. Further replication and extension with larger samples are warranted.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/6/624cognitive disengagement syndromesluggish cognitive tempoADHDMEGattention network test |
| spellingShingle | Xiaoqian Yu Jing Xiang Jeffery N. Epstein Leanne Tamm Josalyn A. Foster Stephen P. Becker Neural Correlates of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Symptoms in Children: A Magnetoencephalography Study Brain Sciences cognitive disengagement syndrome sluggish cognitive tempo ADHD MEG attention network test |
| title | Neural Correlates of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Symptoms in Children: A Magnetoencephalography Study |
| title_full | Neural Correlates of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Symptoms in Children: A Magnetoencephalography Study |
| title_fullStr | Neural Correlates of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Symptoms in Children: A Magnetoencephalography Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neural Correlates of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Symptoms in Children: A Magnetoencephalography Study |
| title_short | Neural Correlates of Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome Symptoms in Children: A Magnetoencephalography Study |
| title_sort | neural correlates of cognitive disengagement syndrome symptoms in children a magnetoencephalography study |
| topic | cognitive disengagement syndrome sluggish cognitive tempo ADHD MEG attention network test |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/6/624 |
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