https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-026-02368-x
Regular Article
Functional connectivity and long-range temporal correlations of neural activity in the alpha-range as markers of intellectual development in children
Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Stremyanny Lane, 36, 115054, Moscow, Russia
a
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Received:
2
April
2026
Accepted:
27
April
2026
Published online:
11
May
2026
Abstract
This study examined the dependence between neural dynamics, functional connectivity, and fluid intelligence in 90 children aged 8–14 years. Resting-state EEG was used to compute detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), reflecting long-range temporal correlations, and phase-locking value (PLV), reflecting functional connectivity. Fluid intelligence was assessed with Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM). DFA exponents in the right frontal alpha band correlated with RPM performance (
). Alpha-band functional networks predicted individual RPM scores (
), and higher frontal DFA was associated with lower clustering in a negatively correlated network (
). A classifier distinguished high and low performers with 76% accuracy (F1-score = 0.8, 
). These findings demonstrate that fluid intelligence in children is linked to both the temporal stability of alpha oscillations and functional network topology, which are interrelated. Combined DFA and PLV measures may serve as biomarkers of cognitive development.
Copyright comment Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
