On the interactivity in the human visual cortex caused by specific and nonspecific inflows

Summary An interactivity (Sato, 1969) with respect not only to the interstimulus intervenal between the conditioned and test stimuli but also with respect to the time after the test stimulus was defined as a new generalized recovery function.The contour maps of the above interactivities of the cerebral evoked potentials elicited by the paired flash stimuli and by the conditioned cutaneous and test flash stimuli, respectively, were obtained in the adult human visual cortex.It was suggested to a certain degree by the autocorrelograms of background occipital EEGs and average VEPs that the more prominent VEPs are elicited, the more predominant are the alpha waves in the occipital background EEG, and vice versa. In the contour maps of the interactivity by the paired flash stimuli, cyclic changes of facilitory mountains and occlusive valleys were regular and conspicuous in the subject who exhibited predominant alpha waves in his background EEG, whereas the cyclic changes were less regular and less marked in the subject with few alpha waves in the background EEG.The cyclic changes in the former subject appeared at an interval of about 100 msec at an interstimulus interval of around 100 msec. This acts favorably in the contribution of the cyclic change in interactivity via natural stimulations to the generation of alpha waves in spontaneous EEG. The main facilitory mountains and occlusive valleys in the maps were arranged in a line parallel to the ordinate (axis of the interstimulus interval), which suggest that the conditioned flash will affect in a specific fashion each response compoment elicited via specific afferent inflows in the VEP timelocked to the test flash stimulus. On the contrary, those in the maps obtained by the conditioned cutaneous and test flash stimuli were diagonal to the abscissa (time after the test stimulus) and ordinate, and/or the peaks of facilitory mountains and bottoms of occlusive valleys tended to form a line parallel to the abscissa, which indicates that as the cutaneous somatosensory afferent inflow converges to the visual cortex nonspecific interactivities are exhibited in each component in the VEP.     

Interhemispheric EEG asymmetries during unilateral bright-light exposure and subsequent sleep in humans

We tested whether evening exposure to unilateral photic stimulation has repercussions on interhemispheric EEG asymmetries during wakefulness and later sleep. Because light exerts an alerting response in humans, which correlates with a decrease in waking EEG theta/alpha-activity and a reduction in sleep EEG delta activity, we hypothesized that EEG activity in these frequency bands show interhemispheric asymmetries after unilateral bright light (1,500 lux) exposure. A 2-h hemi-field light exposure acutely suppressed occipital EEG alpha activity in the ipsilateral hemisphere activated by light. Subjects felt more alert during bright light than dim light, an effect that was significantly more pronounced during activation of the right than the left visual cortex. During subsequent sleep, occipital EEG activity in the delta and theta range was significantly reduced after activation of the right visual cortex but not after stimulation of the left visual cortex. Furthermore, hemivisual field light exposure was able to shift the left predominance in occipital spindle EEG activity toward the stimulated hemisphere. Time course analysis revealed that this spindle shift remained significant during the first two sleep cycles. Our results reflect rather a hemispheric asymmetry in the alerting action of light than a use-dependent recovery function of sleep in response to the visual stimulation during prior waking. However, the observed shift in the spindle hemispheric dominance in the occipital cortex may still represent subtle local use-dependent recovery functions during sleep in a frequency range different from the delta range.     

The effect of M-cholinolytics on the lability of rabbit visual analyzer structures]

The influence of M-cholinolytics (amizyl, glipine, cyclozyl and 4-oxypiperidylbenzylate) in 0.01--10 mg/kg doses on EEG and photic driving in structures of the visual analyser was studied in experiments on twenty intact rabbits with chronically implanted electrodes in the optic chiasm, the optic tract, the lateral geniculate body and the visual cortex. All M-cholinolitics in the doses studied produced synchronization of the EEG. Photic stimulation against the background of small doses of M-cholinolytics (0.01--0.5 mg/kg) did not lead to any disturbances of photic driving. With increased doses of cholinolitics up to 1--5 mg/kg only low frequencies (1--5 imp/sec) produced driving in the lateral geniculate body and the visual cortex, while in the optic tract the driving remained at the initial level. Administration of drugs in a 10 mg/kg dose resulted in complete depression of the driving response in the lateral geniculate body and visual cortex, while in the optic tract the driving was retained.     

Use of spectral correlation method in a study of human emotional states

Application of a new approach to EEG analysis, i.e. of the method of spectral correlation, permitted identification of significant differences in spatial distribution of spectral power correlation for emotions of different quality, namely: anger and fear. It was shown that against the background of fear the topographic distribution of intracortical connections in the delta band was more extensive and included frontal, central, temporal, parietal and occipital regions. The emotion of anger evoked changes in the picture of spatial distribution of intracortical connections in the alpha band which resulted in appearance of a powerful focus of connections in the frontal regions. The greatest number of connections was found for the emotion of anger in the beta band--22 statistically significant correlations. Thus, a generalization of connections in the EEG high frequency bands is noted for the emotion of anger which is not characteristic of the emotion of fear.     

Aging-related changes of EEG synchronization during a visual working memory task

Differences of EEG synchronization between normal old and young people during a working memory (WM) task were investigated. The synchronization likelihood (SL) is a novel method to assessed synchronization in multivariate time series for non-stationary systems. To evaluate this method to study the mechanisms of WM, we calculated the SL values in brain electrical activity for both resting state and task state. EEG signals were recorded from 14 young adults and 12 old adults during two different states, respectively. SL was used to measure EEG synchronization between 19 electrodes in delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2 and beta frequency bands. Bad task performance and significantly decreased EEG synchronization were found in old group compared to young group in alpha1, alpha2 and beta frequency bands during the WM task. Moreover, significantly decreased EEG synchronization in beta band in the elder was also detected during the resting state. The findings suggested that reduced EEG synchronization may be one of causes for WM capacity decline along with healthy aging.     

Comparative analysis of the infant EEG at gestation term 30-42 weeks

The research involved comparison of characteristics of the power spectrum, index, coherence of the EEG at preterm and full-term infants of the first month of life. 6 groups of children are surveyed: (1) 30-32, (2) 33-34, (3) 35-36, (4) 37-38, (5) 39-40, (6) 41-42 weeks of gestation; each group consisted of 10 children. Capacity of delta frequencies was high in the 5th group. Capacity of theta frequencies was high in the 3rd group. The index of theta frequencies was high in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th groups. Capacity of alpha frequencies was hagh in the 2nd group. The index of alpha frequencies was high in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd groups. Indexes and of beta1- and beta2-frequencies were higher in the 1st, 2nd and 4th groups. The maximum quantity of coherent delta, theta and alpha frequencies was in the 6th group. In the 2nd group, in comparison with 5th group, were more coherent delta frequencies in the occipital and occipital-central areas. The results obtained show that the spectrum of capacity, indexes and coherence of the EEG depend on term of gestation at the moment of birth but this dependence has nonlinear character.     

Changes in human EEG caused by low level modulated microwave stimulation

This study focuses on the effect of low level microwave radiation on human EEG alpha and theta rhythms. During the experiment, 20 healthy volunteers were exposed to a 450 MHz microwaves with 7 Hz on-off modulation. The field power density at the scalp was 0.16 mW/cm2. Signals from the following EEG channels were used: FP1, FP2, P3, P4, T3, T4, O1, and O2. The experimental protocol consisted of one cycle of short term photic and ten cycles of the repetitive microwave stimulation. The changes caused by photic as well as microwave stimulation were more regular on the alpha rhythm. In the majority of cases, photic stimulation caused changes in the EEG energy level in the occipital and microwave stimulation in the frontal region. Our experimental results demonstrated that microwave stimulation effects became apparent, starting from the third stimulation cycle. Changes varied strongly from subject to subject. Therefore, photic and microwave exposure did not cause statistically significant changes in the EEG activity level for the whole group. For some subjects, clear tendencies of changes in microwave on-off cycles were noticeable.     

Heritability of human brain functioning as assessed by electroencephalography.

To study the genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in CNS functioning, the electroencephalogram (EEG) was measured in 213 twin pairs age 16 years. EEG was measured in 91 MZ and 122 DZ twins. To quantify sex differences in the genetic architecture, EEG was measured in female and male same-sex twins and in opposite-sex twins. EEG was recorded on 14 scalp positions during quiet resting with eyes closed. Spectral powers were calculated for four frequency bands: delta, theta, alpha, and beta. Twin correlations pointed toward high genetic influences for all these powers and scalp locations. Model fitting confirmed these findings; the largest part of the variance of the EEG is explained by additive genetic factors. The averaged heritabilites for the delta, theta, alpha and beta frequencies was 76%, 89%, 89%, and 86%, respectively. Multivariate analyses suggested that the same genes for EEG alpha rhythm were expressed in different brain areas in the left and right hemisphere. This study shows that brain functioning, as indexed by rhythmic brain-electrical activity, is one of the most heritable characteristics in humans.     

Resonance phenomena to rhythmic light stimulation with various intensity and frequency in human EEG

The photoinduced resonance EEG response in the occipital area (O1 and O2) of right-handed men during 12-s intermittent photic stimulation was studied as a function of flash frequency (6, 10, or 16 Hz) and intensity (5 levels from 0.05 to 0.7 J). The EEG power in the narrow band coinciding with stimulation frequency was FFT-extracted in 3-s intervals before, during, and after each stimulation. It was found that increase in flash intensity was accompanied by an enhancement of the resonance EEG response and decrease in time of reaching its maximal value. These changes were to a greater extent characteristic for the right hemisphere. The low-intensity stimulation induced more pronounced resonance effects in the left hemisphere, whereas the high-intensity flashes to a greater extent involved the right hemisphere. The asymmetry of the EEG response to stimulation of the middle intensity was slight, and the time of reaching the maximal level of the resonance activation was about 6-8 s. A relatively high level of the resonance EEG response was observed during stimulation with the frequency of 10 Hz, even in case of its minimal intensity. The most pronounced resonance EEG response was induced in the right occipital area by the high-intensity 16-Hz stimulation. The enhanced sensitivity of the right hemisphere to intensity of flashes is interpreted as an indication of interhemispheric differences in nonspecific adaptive mechanisms of the brain.     

Spectral EEG characteristics in students with different anxiety profile during tests

EEG spectral power was calculated in 39 students at the age of 19-21 years in two experimental conditions: during the common educational process and immediately before an examination (stress condition). During the education process, in subjects with high anxiety (tested by Spielberger) the relative spectral power of the delta activity was higher than in the other group in the occipital, parietal, central, and right frontal brain areas, whereas the power of the EEG alpha in these areas was lower. Before examination tests, in subjects with high activity the delta power bilaterally increased in the temporal areas, whereas in subjects with low anxiety there was a decrease in the alpha rhythm power, especially in the right frontal area. In stress condition, the relative power of the delta activity in both occipital and temporal, right parietal and central areas was higher in subjects with low anxiety, whereas their alpha power was lower in both frontal and in occipital, parietal, and temporal areas of the left hemisphere.     

The mechanism of action of a reinforcing stimulus]

Experiments on alert non-immobilized rabbits revealed that electrical cutaneous stimulation of a limb, used as a reinforcing agent in elaboration of a conditioned reflex to photic flashes, weakened slow polyrhythmic oscillations of background EEG and late components of evoked potentials in the visual cortex to photic flashes. Against this background, the connection between slow potentials and spike activity in both the visual and sensorimotor cortical areas considerably diminished. During EEG activation, induced by the reinforcing stimulus, inhibitory pauses and post-inhibitory activation in the firing of the neocortical units weakened and protracted, ordered spike activity appeared. The data obtained are in agreement with the hypothesis that weakening of the recurrent inhibition system is one of the basic mechanisms in the action of the reinforcing stimulus in conditioning.     

Correlation between the Activity of Dopaminergic Neurons of the Ventral Tegmentum and Spectral Power of the EEG Rhythms in Awake Cats

We studied correlations between the frequency of background impulse activity (BIA) of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons of the ventral tegmentum (VT) and spectral power (SP) of the frequency components of EEG samples recorded in awake cats. The EEG was recorded monopolarly (electrodes were fixed in the cranial bones) from the frontal, occipital, and right and left temporal regions of the cortex. In a great majority of the cases, the BIA frequency of VT DA-ergic neurons demonstrated significant positive correlations with changes in the SPs of the alpha and beta EEG rhythms. The closest correlations of the spiking frequency of DA-ergic cells with the SP of the alpha rhythm was observed in the occipital region, while those with the beta SP were found in the frontal area. Correlations of the activity of DA-ergic neurons with the SPs of the alpha and beta rhythms in the left temporal cortical zone were closer, as compared with those in the symmetrical right zone. Correlations of the SPs of the delta, theta, and gamma EEG components with the discharge frequency of VT DA neurons were of opposite directions, and in most cases such correlations did not reach the level of significance. The results of this study show that, in some cases, specific EEG patterns can be considered indicators of the state of the cerebral VT DA-ergic system. Neirofiziologiya/Neurophysiology, Vol. 40, No. 4, pp. 359–367, July–August, 2008.     

Dipole models of alpha-rhythm generators

Different hypothesis of the alpha rhythm origin were tested by dipole simulation of the alpha rhythm sources. EEG was recorded during driving photic stimulation in order to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. Models with fixed and moving dipoles were analyzed. Dipole sources were compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to find the exact location of oscillations in brain anatomical structures. A two-level multiple dipole model was found to fit the EEG most adequately. The first level was represented by two oscillators localized in the thalamic reticular nuclei, and the second level is associated with two modality-specific oscillators localized in the respective cortical areas.     

Classification of the adolescent EEG by the spectral and segmental characteristics for normals

The 16-channel EEG records of 45 adolescents with schizophrenia and 39 healthy adolescents were subjected to statistical combinatorial analysis of 160 elementary EEG characteristics (6 spectral and 4 segmental EEG characteristics for a channel). Employing pattern recognition algorithm "Kora-n", a list of 37 combined EEG patterns was compiled. This list characterized with a minimal error the EEG of healthy adolescents in such a way that none of these characters featured the EEG of adolescents with schizophrenia. Analysis of this list of EEG characteristics suggests that the contrast between EEG of healthy and ill adolescents is the sharpest in the F4, Cz, T3 and O1 derivations. Compared to EEG samples of schizophrenic subjects, EEGs of healthy subjects exhibit lower levels of delta and theta activity mainly in the frontal and temporal regions of the cortex and higher level of alpha activity predominantly in the occipital region. Applicability of the list of EEG patterns for diagnostics of schizophrenia-type disorders of adolescents is discussed.     

Treatment of a depressive disorder patient with EEG-driven photic stimulation

This study examined the effects of electroencephalographic-(EEG-) driven photic stimulation on a case of depressive disorder, as measured by a psychometric test of mood states, EEG parameters, and several autonomic indices. The EEG-driven photic stimulation enhances the alpha rhythm of brain waves using photic signals, the brightness of which is modulated by a subject's own alpha rhythm. The patient was a 37-year-old businessman, who was treated for depression with medication during the 13 months prior to his first visit to our hospital. He underwent two sets of inpatient treatment sessions, comprising first 16 and then 18 treatment sessions. The treatments brought about the following changes: an improvement in general mood state, alpha rhythm increase, cardiac parasympathetic suppression, and increased skin conductance level. In addition, significant correlations between alpha rhythm increase and cardiac parasympathetic suppression or cardiac sympathetic predominance were observed with each inpatient treatment. Significant correlations between alpha rhythm increase, cardiac parasympathetic suppression, or cardiac sympathetic predominance and the improvement of general mood state were also observed. Thus, from these observations, it was concluded that the alpha enhancement induced by EEG-driven photic stimulation produced an improvement in the patient's depressive symptomatology connected with cardiac parasympathetic suppression and sympathetic predominance.     

Dynamic characteristics of the human resonance EEG responses to rhythmic photostimulation

The development of the resonance EEG responses of the left and right occipital areas was studied in right-handed men during prolonged (12 or 120 s) rhythmic, photostimulation with the intensity of 0.7 J and frequencies of 6, 10, and 16 Hz. Analysis of the EEG fine spectral structure was applied to compare the accumulated baseline EEG spectra and EEG spectra during photostimulation, to observe the dynamics of the short-term spectra and to detect power changes in the EEG narrow spectral band sharply coincident with the stimulation frequency. The more pronounced EEG responses to photostimulation were observed in subjects with the initially low EEG baseline, α-rhythm. Two-minute flash trains produced a substantial increase in the EEG power within the stimulation frequency with superposed oscillatory processes with different periods. These fluctuations are considered a reflection of intricate interaction between the adaptive and resonance EEG responses to the presented intermittent stimulation. Under 12-s stimulation the resonance EEG responses are steadily recorded within the first 3 s of stimulation and immediately after the flash cessation EEG power at the stimulation frequency returns to the initial level. The resonance EEG responses were more pronounced in the right hemisphere than in the left one, especially, at the stimulation frequencies of 6 and 16 Hz. With increasing the stimulation frequency, the maximum of resonance EEG responses was reached earlier. Under the stimulation frequency of 6 Hz, the maximal response was recorded 9–12 s after the beginning of flashes, at the frequencies of 10 and 16 Hz, it was recorded within 3–6 and 3 s, respectively.     

Electrical potentials from the eye and optic nerve of Strombus: effects of electrical stimulation of the optic nerve.

1. Photic stimulation of the mature eye of Strombus can evoke in the optic nerve 'on' activity in numerous small afferent fibres and repetitive 'off' bursts of afferent impulses in a smaller number of larger fibres. 2. Synchronous invasion of the eye by electrically evoked impulses in small optic nerve fibres (apparently the 'on' afferents, antidromically activated) can evoke a burst of impulses in the larger 'off' fibres which propagate away from the eye. Invasion of the eye via one branch of optic nerve can evoke an answering burst in another branch. 3. Such electrically evoked bursts are similar to light-evoked 'off' bursts with respect to their impulse composition, their ability to be inhibited by illumination of the eye, and their susceptibility to MgCl2 anaesthesia. 4. Invasion of the eye by a train of repetitive electrically evoked impulses in the absence of photic stimulation can give rise to repetitive 'off' bursts as well as concomitant oscillatory potentials in the eye which are similar to those normally evoked by cessation of a photic stimulus. 5. The electrically evoked 'off' bursts appear to be caused by an excitatory rebound following the cessation of inhibitory synaptic input from photoreceptors which can be antidromically activated by electrical stimulation of the optic nerve. 6. The experimental results suggest that the rhythmic discharge of the 'off' fibres evoked by the cessation of a photic stimulus is mediated by the abrupt decrease of inhibitory synaptic input from the receptors.     

Topography of alpha and theta oscillatory responses upon auditory and visual stimuli in humans

Brain resonance phenomena and induced rhythms in the brain recently gained importance in electroencephalographic, magnetoencephalographic and cellular studies (Ba\c sar and Bullock 1992). It was hypothesized that evoked potentials are superpositions of induced rhythms caused by resonance phenomena in neural populations (Ba\c sar et al. 1992). According to Ba\c sar (1972), such resonance phenomena are reflected in the main peaks of the amplitude frequency characteristics computed from EEG responses. The present study is based on a frequency domain approach for the evaluation of topography- and modality-dependent properties of oscillatory brain responses. EEG and evoked potentials were recorded from vertex, parietal and occipital scalp locations in 24 volunteers. Two combined methods were applied: (1) amplitude frequency characteristics were computed from the transient evoked responses, and (2) frequency components of the transient responses were obtained by adaptive digital filtering. Our main goal was to investigate theta (4--7 Hz) and alpha (8--15 Hz) response components. (1) Amplitude frequency characteristics. Auditory stimuli elicited theta-alpha compound responses in the 4--11 Hz frequency band (e.g. typical peaking frequency around 7 Hz for vertex recordings). Visual stimuli elicited alpha responses (e.g. typical peaking frequency for vertex recordings around 9--12 Hz). Frequency maxima for visual stimuli thus had main peaks at higher frequency values than frequency maxima for auditory stimuli. (2) Digital filtering confirmed these results: for vertex recordings, theta vs. alpha response amplitudes were 9 vs 6 for auditory stimuli and 5 vs 5 for visual stimuli, thus confirming a shift towards higher frequencies, i.e. a more prominent contribution of the alpha range, in the case of visual stimulation. We hypothesize that these properties might reflect site- and modality-specific features of stimulus encoding in the brain in which resonance properties of neuron populations are involved. Furthermore we emphasize the utility of the systems theory approach for a better understanding of brain function by means of EPs. Received: 25 February 1994 / Accepted in revised form: 5 August 1994     

基于聚类分析方法的酒后人脑状态研究

目的:本文对酒精引起的人脑状态变化进行讨论。通过对客观记录的受试者摄入酒精事件的脑电图数据进行系统聚类分析,从而分析摄入酒精事件与21导联电极分类的关系,进而为有关人脑的其它研究提供实验和理论根据。方法:选取4名习惯用右手、健康的人进行实验,采用标准21个脑电极的10-20导联系统,获取受试者在安静闭眼和摄入一定量啤酒的2个事件的脑电图数据。然后进行数据分析。数据分析的方法是系统聚类分析方法。程序实现采用独立设计的脑电图分析工具箱和聚类分析程序。结果:对脑电图数据聚类分析后发现,未喝酒时脑电活动大致按前额部和中央、后头部、两侧得到3个聚类簇;摄入200毫升啤酒后,受试者P1和P2的大部分额部电极、中央部电极以及后头部电极聚类为一个簇,个别颞部、后头部电极聚类为一个簇,或单个电极独立为一簇,形成孤立点;摄入400毫升啤酒后,受试者P3和P4的大部分额极电极、额部电极、中央部电极以及后头部电极聚类为一个簇,个别额部、中央部、颞部单个电极独立为一簇,形成孤立点。结论:脑电活动对摄入酒精有显著反应。由于人在安静闭眼状态下,后头部记录到的α波较为显著,所以未喝酒时前后头部脑电信号相关性较弱,受试者前后头部的电极基本不在一个聚类簇中;摄入酒精后,受试者大部分额部、中央部和后头部电极聚类为一簇,即前后头部脑电信号的相关性增强,这说明在酒精的作用下,前头部α波增加,α波呈现扩大和增强的趋势。     

Turner's syndrome: a qualitative and quantitative analysis of EEG background activity

Summary A qualitative and quantitative analysis was performed on the EEG background activity in 62 Danish girls and women with Turner's syndrome (30 with karyotype 45,X and 32 with other karyotypes) whose ages ranged from 6 to 47 years (87% were aged 15 years or more) and age-matched controls. The pooled data and a case-control study showed characteristic features in Turner subjects, including: (1) more rapid frequency, larger amplitude and lower amount of alpha waves, (2) higher amount of theta waves, (3) larger amplitude and higher amount of delta waves and (4) larger amplitude and higher amount of beta waves than in controls. These findings in Turner subjects were more pronounced in the left hemisphere, and more typical, except for the amplitude in alpha waves, in Turner subjects with 45,X than in those with other karyotypes. The effects of advancing age on the EEG background activity observed in controls — including more rapid frequency, decreased amplitude and amount of alpha waves, increased amount of theta and delta waves, and increased amount of beta waves, particularly after 35 years of age — were found in some Turner subjects. Hemispheric differences with higher activity (i.e. more rapid frequency, larger amplitude and higher amount of alpha waves, particularly at Fp₁ and F₃, and, inversely, lower amount of theta or delta waves) at P₃, T₃, T₅ and O₂ than at the opposite side were found in many Turner subjects. However, these findings were not specific for Turner subiects, since the same hemispheric differences were also observed much more markedly in controls. These topographic distributions with hemispheric differences did not provide evidence for hypofunction in the temporo-parieto-occipital tertiary area of the right hemisphere in Turner subjects, though this had been expected on the basis of neuropsychological examinations. Our findings, including transiently appearing brain hypofunction at the parietal, temporal and occipital areas, most often in the right hemisphere, indicate a relationship between the chromosomal constitution 45,X and EEG background activity. They suggest the presence of functional brain disturbance in the thalamus and in the ascending reticular activating system, which tends to disturb the thalamo-cortical circuit. Further studies, including topographic and sequential power spectrum analysis of EEG background activity, 24-h continuous EEG recording, blood flow studies (positron computerized tomography) and neuropathological examination, may be needed.Tables I-VI are available on request