Source reconstruction of clinical resting-state EEG reveals differences in power and functional connectivity in children with developmental dyslexia

Source reconstruction of clinical resting-state EEG reveals differences in power and functional connectivity in children with developmental dyslexia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Source reconstruction of clinical resting-state EEG reveals differences in power and functional connectivity in children with developmental dyslexia David Garnica-Agudelo, Stuart D.W. Smith, Daniel van de Velden, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2895521/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract Developmental dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in reading and spelling. Despite lacking routine neuroimaging markers for dyslexia, recent resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) studies have detected atypical functional connectivity (FC) at the sensor-level in children with dyslexia compared to controls. It remains unclear if routine clinical resting-state EEG can be used to detect source-level differences between children with dyslexia and controls. Using retrospective data, we investigated 70 children with dyslexia and 50 typically developing controls. We analyzed 50 seconds of awake resting-state routine clinical EEG, calculating power and two FC metrics after source-reconstruction. Additionally, correlations between power or FC and IQ, reading, and spelling performance were analyzed. Children with dyslexia had a decrease in theta FC in left temporo-parieto-occipital regions and an increase in alpha FC in left fronto-temporo-parietal regions. Decreased theta FC was observed for right parieto-occipital regions and an increase of alpha FC in right inferior fronto-temporal regions. Furthermore, children with dyslexia demonstrated lower power in delta and theta within the left parieto-occipital regions. A sub-analysis indicated that children with dyslexia in 5 th -8 th school grades exhibit greater alpha FC in left fronto-temporo-parietal regions. Lower scores in spelling showed a positive and significant association to theta power within left parieto-occipital regions in dyslexia. Significant group differences in power and FC in the theta-alpha range suggest abnormal oscillations as pathophysiological signs of dyslexia orthographic, visual attention, and spelling deficits. Our findings indicate the potential of source-reconstructed clinical routine EEG data to inform clinicians about oscillatory alterations in children with dyslexia. Dyslexia Electroencephalography Functional Connectivity Brain Network Source reconstruction Reading Spelling Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-2895521","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":277447792,"identity":"47eb1e06-123c-451b-b496-b1970baff54c","order_by":0,"name":"David Garnica-Agudelo","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1527-2290","institution":"Universitätsmedizin Göttingen: Universitatsmedizin Gottingen","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"David","middleName":"","lastName":"Garnica-Agudelo","suffix":""},{"id":277447793,"identity":"a1c33026-f9d3-45c9-a561-842e48fc3e38","order_by":1,"name":"Stuart D.W. 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Despite lacking routine neuroimaging markers for dyslexia, recent resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) studies have detected atypical functional connectivity (FC) at the sensor-level in children with dyslexia compared to controls. It remains unclear if routine clinical resting-state EEG can be used to detect source-level differences between children with dyslexia and controls. Using retrospective data, we investigated 70 children with dyslexia and 50 typically developing controls. We analyzed 50 seconds of awake resting-state routine clinical EEG, calculating power and two FC metrics after source-reconstruction. Additionally, correlations between power or FC and IQ, reading, and spelling performance were analyzed. Children with dyslexia had a decrease in theta FC in left temporo-parieto-occipital regions and an increase in alpha FC in left fronto-temporo-parietal regions. Decreased theta FC was observed for right parieto-occipital regions and an increase of alpha FC in right inferior fronto-temporal regions. Furthermore, children with dyslexia demonstrated lower power in delta and theta within the left parieto-occipital regions. A sub-analysis indicated that children with dyslexia in 5\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e-8\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e school grades exhibit greater alpha FC in left fronto-temporo-parietal regions. Lower scores in spelling showed a positive and significant association to theta power within left parieto-occipital regions in dyslexia. Significant group differences in power and FC in the theta-alpha range suggest abnormal oscillations as pathophysiological signs of dyslexia orthographic, visual attention, and spelling deficits. 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