Visual Neural Dynamics of Adolescents with Myopia During Face Inversion: An ERP and Oscillatory Study

Background: This study aimed to investigate how myopia affects early event-related potential (ERP) components and neural oscillatory activity during a face inversion task in adolescents, in order to clarify the potential mechanisms by which degraded visual input influences facial structural encoding and neural dynamic regulation. Methods: Forty-eight adolescents aged 13–17 years participated, including 24 with myopia and 24 with normal vision. EEG signals were recorded while participants performed a classic upright–inverted face recognition task. A mixed-design ANOVA was applied to compare group differences in the amplitude and latency of the P1 and N1 components. Time–frequency analyses were conducted to assess task-related oscillatory power in the θ (4–7 Hz) and α (8–13 Hz) bands. Results: No significant group differences were found in P1 amplitude or latency, whereas the N1 latency was significantly longer in the myopia group (p = 0.049). Time–frequency analysis revealed significantly greater θ synchronization (p = 0.034) and greater α desynchronization (p = 0.018) within the early post-stimulus window corresponding to the P1 latency range in the myopia group, with a similar but nonsignificant trend observed within the window corresponding to the N1 range. The main effect of task confirmed a typical face inversion effect (FIE), characterized by smaller N1 amplitudes and longer latencies for inverted than upright faces (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Myopia in adolescents is associated with delayed neural processing during facial structural encoding and enhanced θ–α oscillatory activity within early post-stimulus periods, which may reflect altered early neural engagement in response to degraded visual input. These findings indicate that the effects of myopia extend beyond optical defocus to involve perceptual–cognitive integration, providing novel evidence for the neurodevelopmental characteristics and regulatory mechanisms of adolescent myopia.