M. Matsuura et al., A CROSS-NATIONAL EEG STUDY OF CHILDREN WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL-PROBLEMS - A WHO COLLABORATIVE STUDY IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC REGION, Biological psychiatry, 34(1-2), 1993, pp. 59-65
Electroencephalograms (EEGs) of children from the general population,
assessed by Rutter's questionnaires as having deviant behavior, were q
uantitatively evaluated in Japan (n = 27), China (n = 39), and Korea (
n = 87). Compared with age-matched normal behavior children in Japan (
n = 30), China (n = 27), and Korea (n = 26), there were no differences
either in the EEG frequency pattern or other EEG variables. The EEGs
of age-matched children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder with
hyperactivity in psychiatric clinics in Japan (n = 21), China (n = 41
), and Korea (n = 29), were significantly different from those of norm
al and deviant behavior groups. There were more delta and fast theta w
aves and fewer alpha waves in all three countries, and hypothetical EE
G maturation was retarded in Japan and China. These results suggested
that the deviant behavior of children in the general population had no
biological background, but presumably stemmed from psychosocial disad
vantages. In contrast, the symptoms of hyperactive children seemed to
be related to a biological dysfunction such as brain immaturity.