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Abstract
The dynamics of the electroencephalogram (EEG) from infants with prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) and matched controls was investigated using the methods of nonlinear predictability and nonlinear autoregressive modeling. The 1-step predictability and predictability decay rate were used to examine the difference between the EEG signals of the two subject groups in quiet and active sleep, and between those of the same subject at two different stages of development. Our results show that the EEG of both groups can be modeled as predominantly correlated noise. However, a small degree of nonlinearity was detected. We found that the dynamics of the 4-week-old control infants in active sleep to be more nonlinear than those of infants with PCE at the same age and sleep state. As well, we found differences in the nonlinear dynamics of the EEG signals of infants with PCE during quiet sleep between 4 weeks and 3 months postnatal age.
