Shahid Beheshti University Journal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition 2645-565X 6 3 2025 10 01 Alpha-band fronto-posterior imaginary coherence during musical joint action: null results from an open EEG dataset 1 10 107293 10.48308/jncog.2026.244436.1038 EN Mohammad Mahdi Rezapour Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences ,Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran,Iran. 0009-0003-2633-1369 Journal Article 2025 07 13 Objective: Joint agency–the experience of controlling action outcomes together with another person–is a core construct in social cognition. We reanalyzed the open Joint Agency EEG dataset (N = 23 for condition contrast; N = 21 for rating split) to test whether intra-brain alpha-band (8–13 Hz) connectivity supports this experience. Method: Specifically, we estimated seed-based imaginary coherence from frontal electrode Fz_L to distributed scalp channels. Building on prior work linking auditory ERPs and inter-brain beta synchrony to joint agency, we tested two contrasts: (1) objective task condition (musical duet/joint vs constant-pitch/individual) and (2) subjective experience (within-subject median split of JointAgencyRatings: high vs low). Subject-level maps were compared using cluster-based one-sample permutation tests with channel-adjacency correction. Results: In both analyses, no clusters survived correction (p < .05). Although descriptive topographies showed spatially structured variation, effects were not statistically reliable at the cluster level. Discussion: These null results provide informative constraints on alpha-gating accounts of joint agency. Practically, they suggest that future studies should test alternative mechanisms, time windows, and network targets when probing neural signatures of shared agency.

https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_107293_a7cc99112956c78cc2f9896f879f8c9c.pdf

Shahid Beheshti University Journal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition 2645-565X 6 3 2025 09 01 The Effect of Binaural Beats on Reading Fluency and Phase Lag Value in Dyslexic Children 11 27 107171 10.48308/jncog.2026.243778.1035 EN Noushin Sangtarash Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0001-6802-6459 Mohammad Reza Bigdeli Faculty of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. 0009-0001-8941-5231 Jalil Fathabadi Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Mohammad Ali Nazari Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Journal Article 2025 06 06 Objective: This study investigated the effects of beta- and theta-frequency binaural beats on reading fluency and cortical connectivity, measured via phase lag value (PLV), in children with dyslexia. Methods: Fifty dyslexic children (aged 7.5–8.3 years) were randomly assigned to receive 12 sessions of beta binaural beats (15 Hz), theta binaural beats (5 Hz), or isochronous tones (control). Reading fluency was assessed using the Nilipour Reading Test at pre-test, post-test, and six-week follow-up. Resting-state EEG was recorded to compute PLV in theta and beta bands. Results: Results showed significant improvements in reading fluency for the beta group at post-test and follow-up compared to theta and control groups. PLV increases were observed in beta-band fronto-central and left fronto-temporal networks, and theta-band temporo-parietal networks, correlating with enhanced reading performance. Discussion: These findings suggest that beta binaural beats may enhance phonological processing and executive functions in dyslexia through neural entrainment, offering a non-invasive auditory approach to support reading skills.

https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_107171_532ff98823e7d1433dce6d842c90f46d.pdf

Shahid Beheshti University Journal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition 2645-565X 6 3 2025 09 01 Effects of Acute Stress and Single-Session Physiological Biofeedback on Attention Network Components in Healthy Young Women: A Within-Subject Experimental Study 28 40 107242 10.48308/jncog.2026.242385.1026 EN Zahra Jeihounian Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. 0009-0007-2756-784X Reza Khosrowabadi Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0002-6282-9389 Journal Article 2025 06 08 Objective: Attentional control is a fundamental cognitive function, comprising alerting, orienting, and executive control networks as described by Posner’s model. Acute stress induced by experimental paradigms, such as the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), can affect attentional performance. Physiological biofeedback techniques, including respiratory and heart rate variability (HRV) training, have been proposed as interventions to alleviate stress-related cognitive impairments. Method: This within-subject experimental study involved 25 healthy female volunteers screened for mental health using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS). Participants completed the Attention Network Test (ANT) under three sequential conditions: baseline (no intervention), acute stress induction (TSST), and physiological biofeedback training. Cognitive performance across each attentional network was compared using repeated measures ANOVA, the Friedman test, and appropriate post-hoc analyses (Bonferroni, LSD, Wilcoxon). Results: Significant differences were observed in several ANT network scores across conditions (p < .05). However, post-hoc analyses indicated that most improvements occurred only from baseline to subsequent phases, with no consistent enhancement following biofeedback compared to the stress condition. Discussions: Acute stress induction produced limited and selective effects on attentional network performance. The short-term physiological biofeedback intervention did not yield substantial recovery. Overall, neither intervention resulted in consistent improvements across all attentional indices, underscoring the need for extended intervention protocols and more diverse cognitive outcome measures in future research.

https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_107242_7f9acfafcc73b8cbccf3bd4c42a17866.pdf

Shahid Beheshti University Journal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition 2645-565X 6 3 2025 10 01 A Continuous Temporal Graph (CTG) Framework for Analyzing Seizure Propagation in Epileptic Networks 41 75 107243 10.48308/jncog.2026.242704.1027 EN Madgid Eshaghi Gorji Faculty of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, Semnan university, Semnan. Iran 0000-0003-0787-2277 Choonkil Park Department of Mathematics, College of Cognitive Sciences, Hanyang University, South Korea Ram Bilas Misra Department of General Education, Lebanese French University(LFU), Erbill, Iraq Mohammad Bagha Faculty of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science,semnan university, Semnan, Iran. 0009-0006-5962-9518 Journal Article 2025 06 07 Precise identification of seizure propagation pathways is a critical prerequisite for targeted interventions in epilepsy, such as responsive neurostimulation. However, given the highly dynamic nature of epileptic networks, traditional static or purely probabilistic connectivity measures often fail to capture the continuous temporal flow of seizure activity. To address this challenge, we introduce the Continuous Temporal Graph (CTG) framework, a novel mathematical approach designed to model the temporal evolution of seizure pathways directly from intracranial EEG (iEEG/sEEG) recordings. Unlike discrete-time methods that compress or lose fuzzy temporal information, the CTG framework represents functional interactions not as static weights, but as continuous sets of active time intervals. By employing interval algebra—specifically union and sequential composition —we strictly capture the temporal continuity of seizure spread. Within this framework, we propose a novel metric, T_bridge , which utilizes counterfactual reasoning to quantify the temporal dependency of propagation on specific functional connections. Rather than asserting the presence of permanent structural defects, T_bridge precisely identifies pathways that act as indispensable functional bridges at specific, critical moments during a seizure. Evaluated on both simulated datasets and patient iEEG recordings, the proposed framework successfully isolates time-dependent, non-redundant critical pathways that traditional statistical metrics may obscure. Ultimately, this study provides a new mathematical lens for observing temporal network dynamics, shifting the paradigm from static connectivity estimation to the analysis of continuous temporal topology in epileptic networks. Objective: This study aims to bridge the gap between abstract network modeling and clinical iEEG recordings by developing the Continuous Temporal Graph (CTG) framework, enabling precise mathematical mapping of temporal dependencies during seizure propagation. Method: We applied a novel Continuous Temporal Graph (CTG) framework to intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings from patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. In this model, nodes represent individual electrodes, and edges are defined based on their continuous active time intervals during seizures. Using interval-based mathematical operators, we calculated the temporal overlaps between brain regions. Furthermore, the T_bridge metric was introduced to quantify temporal and functional dependencies, enabling the identification of critical propagation pathways. Results: In clinical validation (5 patients, 10 seizures), the CTG framework correctly identified expert-defined bridge edges connecting the Seizure Onset Zone (SOZ) to early propagation regions in 9 out of 10 seizures. Simulation studies confirmed the model's robustness to noise, with optimal performance at a 10–50 ms temporal resolution. Furthermore, the T_bridge metric successfully distinguished critical structural pathways from redundant connections, outperforming traditional probabilistic methods such as Transfer Entropy and Granger Causality. Discussions: The CTG framework provides a robust mathematical approach to model the continuous temporal evolution of seizure pathways directly from iEEG data. By identifying temporal and functional bottlenecks T_bridge this method offers a patient-specific mapping of critical network dependencies. These findings suggest that CTG can enhance our understanding of seizure dynamics and potentially guide more precise, temporally-informed clinical interventions, such as targeted ablation or neurostimulation.

https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_107243_8ad1f42f0e75c973407630c48a064b37.pdf

Shahid Beheshti University Journal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition 2645-565X 6 3 2025 10 01 Synchronization of Three All-to-All Coupled Hodgkin-Huxley Neurons under an Extremely Low-Frequency Sinusoidal External Electric Field 76 92 107244 10.48308/jncog.2026.242816.1030 EN Mahdi Gholampour Physics group faculty of basic sciences Imam Ali University 0000-0002-9553-4894 Esmaeil Mahdavi Department of Physics, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan, Iran Majid Amirzadeh Physics Group, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Imam Ali University, Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2025 06 07 Due to the increasing technological exposure to extremely low-frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (frequencies less than 300 Hz) and the electrical excitability of neurons, we numerically inv estigate the impact of an ELF sinusoidal external electric field on the synchronization dynamics of a three-neuron all-to-all Hodgkin–Huxley (HH) network coupled via gap junctions with different output firing rates. Our findings show that the external field can modulate both the degree of synchrony and the firing rate of the network depending on the field frequency, amplitude, and coupling strength, resulting in regimes where synchrony is enhanced, reduced, or remains unchanged. Additionally, the external field can induce explosive synchronization transitions, and in a subset of parameter values (amplitude and frequency of the external electric field), some of these transitions are accompanied by very narrow hysteresis loops. We further demonstrate that the minimum gap-junction conductance required for full network synchrony can decrease, increase, or remain unchanged under external electric field stimulation, highlighting a highly nonlinear and parameter-sensitive interplay between field-driven forcing and intrinsic network dynamics.

https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_107244_acc9612d3092b5bf3c8fe8008d350a83.pdf

Shahid Beheshti University Journal of Neurodevelopmental Cognition 2645-565X 6 3 2025 10 01 Monolingual and Bilingual Children’s Processing of Novel Metaphors: A Comparative Study 93 109 107245 10.48308/jncog.2026.242880.1032 EN Fatemeh Hoseini Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Mehdi Purmohammad Department of Education, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada 0000-0003-3889-1876 Journal Article 2025 07 13 Objective: This study aimed to compare the comprehension of novel metaphors by monolingual children and Persian–Arabic bilingual children, and to examine the role of creativity in metaphor understanding. The research used a fundamental experimental design. The statistical population comprised students in District 20 of Tehran, from which 80 children—40 Persian–Arabic bilinguals and 40 monolinguals—were selected through convenience sampling based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Method: Data were collected using a newly developed computerized task based on semantic judgment to assess the comprehension of novel metaphors, along with the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (1972) to measure creativity. Both groups completed the computerized task and the creativity assessment. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests and regression analyses in SPSS. Results: The findings revealed a significant correlation (p < .05) between bilingualism and the comprehension of novel metaphors. Bilingual children performed better than monolingual children on the novel metaphor task and also obtained higher scores on the creativity test. Discussion: These patterns indicate a positive correlation between bilingualism, creativity, and the comprehension of novel metaphors. These findings may have implications for the design of second-language education programs and for supporting the development of abstract-concept comprehension in elementary-school settings.

https://jncog.sbu.ac.ir/article_107245_22e4abeb2f9564e77ff48dd524e45645.pdf