Analysis of Coherence in EEGs of Hard-of-Hearing Teenagers

According to the data of analysis of coherence indices of the frequency components of background EEGs of hard-of-hearing teenagers (12 to 15 years), the latter are characterized by a greater spatial regularity of delta- and theta-range oscillations in various cerebral cortex regions, as compared with the coherence in normal-hearing teenagers of the same age. This fact can be a manifestation of profound localization of generators structures initiating this slow-wave EEG activity. No clear focus of activity was found for the alpha range of hard-of-hearing teenagers; at the same time, considerable levels of coherence of alpha oscillations were observed in spatially remote cortical zones. This feature shows that the alpha-frequency activity can also be initiated, to a considerable extent, from one source localized in subcortical structures.     

Correlation between bioelectrical processes of the cortex, thalamus, midbrain reticular formation during formation of a defensive conditioned reflex in rabbits]

EEG power spectra of the sensorimotor area of the neocortex, the dorsal hippocampus, midbrain reticular formation and anteroventral thalamic nucleus, as well as corresponding coherence functions and phase spectra, undergo changes during formation and performance of defensive conditioned reflex in rabbit. The conclusion is draen that in the process of conditioning a morphofunctional system of brain structures is established including the above mentioned formations. Their functional integration occurs on the basis of theta-rhythm. The execution of a conditioned act requires isorhythmicity of electrical processes within the theta-range in the studied structures and an adequate level of their excitability, which is manifested in the dominance of 6,0 c/s frequency.     

Adaptive method for EEG spectrum component decomposition

A new computerized method for EEG rhythms extraction is proposed as a development of the idea of adjustable boundaries of frequency components that was put forward in previous investigations. Principle component analysis of the correlation matrix of EEG spectra with subsequent rotation of factor solutions was used for decomposition of a spectrum into physically meaningful spectral components. The method was tested on EEG of 14 healthy subjects recorded in 17 functional waking states. Fourteen independent spectral components in the spectral range from 0 to 100 Hz were extracted and their frequency boundaries were consistent with the current knowledge on frequency components of EEG oscillations. Main advantage of the described method is the adjustable estimation of EEG frequency oscillators taking into account characteristic properties of individual EEGs. Possible area of application might be the correct evaluation of spectral power of the EEG rhythms, EEG coherence and other spectral characteristics in clinical and experimental research, studies of the frequency characteristics of the EEG rhythms in different human functional states, changes in frequency characteristics of the EEG rhythms during maturation and in mental pathology.     

Spectral-correlation characteristics of the electrical activity of the brain of the rabbit in a state of calm wakefulness

Inter- and intrahemispheric relations of electrical activity of the pre-motor, sensorimotor (representation of forelimb and blinking) and visual zones of rabbit's cerebral cortex in calm alertness was studied by method of spectral-correlative analysis. Mean coherence levels of the EEG of tested hemispheric symmetric points and symmetric pairs of leads in the left and right hemispheres were characterized by a high temporal stability in the state of calm alertness and during sensory stimulation. A comparison of mean coherence values of EEG in symmetric leads, revealed a tendency to left-side dominance of statistical bonds of electrical processes. A tendency was shown towards interhemispheric asymmetry by mean parameters of EEG power spectra: the left hemisphere of the rabbit is characterized by a lower mean frequency of electrical activity and a more narrow effective frequency of the spectrum.     

Dependence of the organization of human brain electrical activity on hemispheric dominance

In healthy subjects, in a state of relative rest, with different individual profiles of asymmetry (20 right-handed and 10 left-handed subjects), a greater conjunction of electrical brain processes (estimated by mean EEG coherence levels) has been found in the dominant hemisphere as compared to the subdominant one, more distinctly expressed in the right-handed subjects. The maximum degree of interhemispheric asymmetry of the EEG coherence is observed in the posterior associative cortical areas. Specific interhemispheric theta-range differences are revealed as compared with other EEG frequency bands. Greater values are obtained of the correlation of the EEG symmetrical hemispheres points in the whole frequency band and in alpha- and beta-ranges in the right-handed subjects than in the left-handed ones.     

Interregional cortical interactions at different stages of natural sleep and the hypnotic state: EEG evidence

The characteristic patterns of EEG spatial organization at different stages of natural sleep and the hypnotic state were studied in 26 volunteers aged 18–22 years. EEGs were recorded using 12 monopolar leads, and EEG cross-correlation coefficient matrices were calculated for consecutive epochs (4 and 8 s). Matrices averaged for each state were treated using factor analysis. The EEG correlation matrices were compared element by element for the states studied and the waking state. Relatively similar changes in the spatial structure of EEG correlations were observed at different stages of natural sleep, with the correlations tending to intensify, especially in the posterior temporal region of the right hemisphere. In the light and deep (somnambular) phases of hypnosis, the interaction between cortical zones that was characteristic of distant relationships of the EEGs of frontal regions, especially the posterior inferior frontal region of the right hemisphere, decreased. The systemic reorganization of the interregional EEG correlations during natural sleep was considerably more pronounced than in the hypnotic state. Notwithstanding, the highly orderly spatial organization of the cortical biopotential field that was typical of the waking state was retained at different stages of natural sleep and hypnosis. Thus, the coordination of the activities of distant nerve centers oriented to providing for a certain function or maintaining a certain functional state occurs against the background of a relatively invariant pattern of interregional integration at the level of the whole brain.Translated from Fiziologiya Cheloveka, Vol. 31, No. 2, 2005, pp. 34–48.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by A. Shepovalnikov, Tsitseroshin, Rozhkov, Galperina, Zaitseva, R. Shepovalnikov.     

Dynamics of the spectral-coherent characteristics of the human EEG in healthy subjects and brain pathology

EEGs of 15 healthy subjects and 30 patients in early period after surgical ablation of tumours with basal localization, were investigated by means of monitor "Neuro-1" which allows to obtain in continuous regime characteristics of EEG dynamics according to power spectra and reveal the characteristics of intercentral relations of electrical brain processes by coherence and phase shifts. In healthy subjects in the period of transition from wakefulness to drowsiness highly coherent beta-rhythm (16-18 Hz) was revealed, preceeding typical picture of drowsiness and sleep. Study of the patients shows that certain characteristics of coherence and phasic shifts have an important prognostic value. Conclusion is made that for estimation of the functional state of healthy subjects during transition from wakefulness to drowsiness and of patients in early postoperative period the data on spectra of coherence are most informative.     

Individual/Typological Peculiarities of EEG Rearrangements in Humans Related to the Analysis of Olfactory Information: Role of Extroversion/Introversion

We studied changes in human EEGs related to presentation of olfactory stimuli (smells of essential oils) and dependence of such rearrangements on the level of extroversion/introversion typical of the tested subject. It was shown that this feature of personality noticeably influences the pattern of odorant-induced changes in EEG. Persons with a predominance of introversion were characterized by higher levels of nonspecific activation of the brain related to perception of olfactory stimuli, which was manifested in a decrease in the power of low-frequency EEG components in the parietal, occipital, and temporal cerebral cortices. The pattern of the rise in coherence level of high-frequency spectrum range oscillations directed toward caudal leads is considered a manifestation of intensification of the intrinsic associative processes. In individuals with a predominance of extroversion, we observed, on the whole, smaller levels of nonspecific cerebral activation upon the action of olfactory stimulation. The fronto-parietal pattern of spatial EEG synchronization is indicative of the development of sensory-analytical processes related to perception of external information. In general, our data agree with the interpretation of such a psychological parameter as extroversion/introversion.     

Electroencephalographic characteristics of cognitive-specific attention in verbal learning—II: General characteristics of EEG spatial synchronization

Electroencephalograms (EEGs) were recorded in 19 standard derivations in 88 subjects (students) in states of: rest with the eyes open; memorization (learning) of verbal bilingual semantic pairs (Latin and Russian); and recollection (control) of the memorized information. Estimates of EEG coherence in these states were compared using statistical methods for the frequency bands θ, α₁, α₂, β₁, β₂, and γ. The results of this comparison showed that transition from the state of rest to those of memorization and recollection was accompanied by numerous changes in coherence in all the frequency bands. These changes varied in intensity and embrace practically the entire convexital cerebral cortex. Decrease in EEG coherence was predominant during the transition to the memorization state in various frequency bands, whereas during the transition from the rest state to that of recollection, EEG coherence increased in most of the frequency bands except for the band α₂. The reproducibility of this pattern of changes in EEG coherence is confirmed by the results in the subgroups formed by randomly subdividing the subjects into two groups. We think that the observed intense rearrangement of the spatial synchronization of the cortex electrical activity reflects the reorganization of the functional systems of neuronal ensembles to provide efficient memorization and recollection, respectively.     

Spectral Analysis of Long Electroencephalographic Records

Spectral analysis of a 10-min electroencephalogram (EEG) record has made it possible to describe the behavior of EEG rhythms as a dynamic spectrum and find a distinct periodic pattern in this behavior. The data on the dynamic spectra of long EEGs offer a new insight into the estimation of the stability of EEG electrical processes in healthy subjects, inter- and intrahemispheric relationships between the electrical activities of different cortical regions, and estimation of phase relations, which were previously performed on the basis of comparison between single EEG spectral patterns.     

Time-Dependent Statistical and Correlation Properties of Neural Signals during Handwriting

To elucidate the cortical control of handwriting, we examined time-dependent statistical and correlational properties of simultaneously recorded 64-channel electroencephalograms (EEGs) and electromyograms (EMGs) of intrinsic hand muscles. We introduced a statistical method, which offered advantages compared to conventional coherence methods. In contrast to coherence methods, which operate in the frequency domain, our method enabled us to study the functional association between different neural regions in the time domain. In our experiments, subjects performed about 400 stereotypical trials during which they wrote a single character. These trials provided time-dependent EMG and EEG data capturing different handwriting epochs. The set of trials was treated as a statistical ensemble, and time-dependent correlation functions between neural signals were computed by averaging over that ensemble. We found that trial-to-trial variability of both the EMGs and EEGs was well described by a log-normal distribution with time-dependent parameters, which was clearly distinguished from the normal (Gaussian) distribution. We found strong and long-lasting EMG/EMG correlations, whereas EEG/EEG correlations, which were also quite strong, were short-lived with a characteristic correlation durations on the order of 100 ms or less. Our computations of correlation functions were restricted to the spectral range (13–30 Hz) of EEG signals where we found the strongest effects related to handwriting. Although, all subjects involved in our experiments were right-hand writers, we observed a clear symmetry between left and right motor areas: inter-channel correlations were strong if both channels were located over the left or right hemispheres, and 2–3 times weaker if the EEG channels were located over different hemispheres. Although we observed synchronized changes in the mean energies of EEG and EMG signals, we found that EEG/EMG correlations were much weaker than EEG/EEG and EMG/EMG correlations. The absence of strong correlations between EMG and EEG signals indicates that (i) a large fraction of the EEG signal includes electrical activity unrelated to low-level motor variability; (ii) neural processing of cortically-derived signals by spinal circuitry may reduce the correlation between EEG and EMG signals.     

Spectral correlation parameters of neocortical potentials in the rabbit undergoing paired isorhythmic stimulation

At pairing of isorhythmic stimuli beyond the theta-rhythm frequency limits (3 and 8 Hz), in power spectra of EEGs of the sensorimotor and visual neocortical areas of rabbits, the frequencies are present both of the theta-range and of the stimulation frequency, in the background activity as well as during the stimulation. Both rhythms are in reciprocal relations. The frequency of the theta-rhythm approaches the frequency divisible by that of the stimulation. Under the action of the conditioned stimulus, crosscorrelation coefficients (CC) between the potentials of the areas under study decrease in most cases in comparison to their background values. Combination of the conditioned stimulus with the unconditioned one, leads approximately in equal number of cases to an increase or decrease of CC. After elimination of the stimuli, in most cases CC increases. CC of the background activity does not increase in the course of paired stimuli presentation though a conditioned response is being formed. At presence of stimuli frequency fluctuations simultaneously in the potentials of both areas, the rise of coherence function at this frequency does not occurs always. Thus, the above spectral-correlation parameters of rabbit's cortical potentials differ from those which arise at pairing of continuous nonrhythmic stimuli. This difference is probably due to different characteristics of the stimuli presented.     

Travelling waves and EEG patterns during epileptic seizure: analysis with an integrate-and-fire neural network

Epilepsy is characterized by paradoxical patterns of neural activity. They may cause different types of electroencephalogram (EEG), which dynamically change in shape and frequency content during the temporal evolution of seizure. It is generally assumed that these epileptic patterns may originate in a network of strongly interconnected neurons, when excitation dominates over inhibition. The aim of this work is to use a neural network composed of 50 x 50 integrate-and-fire neurons to analyse which parameter alterations, at the level of synapse topology, may induce network instability and epileptic-like discharges, and to study the corresponding spatio-temporal characteristics of electrical activity in the network. We assume that a small group of central neurons is stimulated by a depolarizing current (epileptic focus) and that neurons are connected via a Mexican-hat topology of synapses. A signal representative of cortical EEG (ECoG) is simulated by summing the membrane potential changes of all neurons. A sensitivity analysis on the parameters describing the synapse topology shows that an increase in the strength and in spatial extension of excitatory vs. inhibitory synapses may cause the occurrence of travelling waves, which propagate along the network. These propagating waves may cause EEG patterns with different shape and frequency, depending on the particular parameter set used during the simulations. The resulting model EEG signals include irregular rhythms with large amplitude and a wide frequency content, low-amplitude high-frequency rapid discharges, isolated or repeated bursts, and low-frequency quasi-sinusoidal patterns. A slow progressive temporal variation in a single parameter may cause the transition from one pattern to another, thus generating a highly non-stationary signal which resembles that observed during ECoG measurements. These results may help to elucidate the mechanisms at the basis of some epileptic discharges, and to relate rapid changes in EEG patterns with the underlying alterations at the network level.     

Cognitive neuroscience of creativity: EEG based approaches

Cognitive neuroscience of creativity has been extensively studied using non-invasive electrical recordings from the scalp called electroencephalograms (EEGs) and event related potentials (ERPs). The paper discusses major aspects of performing research using EEG/ERP based experiments including the recording of the signals, removing noise, estimating ERP signals, and signal analysis for better understanding of the neural correlates of processes involved in creativity. Important factors to be kept in mind to record clean EEG signal in creativity research are discussed. The recorded EEG signal can be corrupted by various sources of noise and methodologies to handle the presence of unwanted artifacts and filtering noise are presented followed by methods to estimate ERPs from the EEG signals from multiple trials. The EEG and ERP signals are further analyzed using various techniques including spectral analysis, coherence analysis, and non-linear signal analysis. These analysis techniques provide a way to understand the spatial activations and temporal development of large scale electrical activity in the brain during creative tasks. The use of this methodology will further enhance our understanding the processes neural and cognitive processes involved in creativity.     

Functional asymmetry of the neocortex electrical activity during food conditioning in dogs

Four dogs were trained to perform a conditioned alimentary response to a sound stimulus. The EEG was recorded from six pairs of chronically implanted neocortical electrodes. The EEG spectra and coherence functions between the neighboring derivations of each of the hemispheres were analyzed in the theta, alpha, beta 1 and beta 2 frequency ranges. At the first stages of conditioning, the percent of cases increased when the highest mean values of EEG frequency were localized in the left hemisphere. Later on the percent of cases, when the mean coherence values in the left hemisphere were higher than in the right hemisphere, also increased. At the stage of conditioned response stabilization, this asymmetry either disappeared or the right hemisphere became more active than the left one. The spatial localization of the maximal values of the EEG frequency was different for different frequency ranges. The highest values in the beta 1 range were more frequently registered in the posterior cortical regions and in the beta 2 range they were revealed, predominantly, in the anterior areas. The maximal values of coherence dominated in the anterior regions and their spatial distribution was similar for different frequencies. Thus, the initial stages of conditioning are accompanied by activation of the left hemisphere.     

Effects of modulated RF energy on the EEG of mammalian brains

The effects of modulated radio frequency fields on mammalian EEGs were investigated using acute and chronic irradiations at non-thermal level. The EEG signals were computer processed to obtain power spectra. Rabbits were exposed to the field for 2 h a day for 6 weeks at 1-10 MHz (15 Hz modulation) at the level of 0.5-1 kV/M. Silver electrodes placed on the skull surface were used for recording of the EEG. Usually they were removed immediately after initial recordings of the EEG and reinserted before the final and intermediate EEG recordings. With this arrangement, modulated RF fields produced a change in EEG patterns by enhancing the low frequency components and decreasing high frequency activities. On the other hand, acute irradiations did not produce noticeable changes in the EEG at the level of 0.5-1 kV/M (1-30 MHz, 60 Hz modulation) as long as the use of intracranial electrodes was avoided.     

Dynamic processes in the human EEG

The possible mechanisms which determine the temporal dynamics of discrete narrow-band spectral components of human EEG recorded by a single electrode in the state of rest were analyzed. The dynamics of short-segment spectra was observed by application of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to 5-s EEG epochs successively shifted by 0.32 s. For each subject the matrices were formed and presented in a graphic mode. Matrix rows represented the number of points in each short-segment spectrum, and the columns represented the number of short-segment spectra. The columns reflect the amplitude dynamics of a given frequency, and power transition between the columns reflects the frequency dynamics. The most common type of the amplitude dynamics consisted in short (2-8 s) periods of stable activity of the discrete spectral components replaced by symmetrical bifurcation or confluence of spectral peaks. The obtained results suggest by the presence of both additive and multiplicative mechanisms of oscillatory interactions in the EEG. More detailed analysis of the amplitude-modulated EEG processes is provided by application of some additive features of the FFT to both EEG and computer-simulated signals.     

Electroencephalographic imaging of higher brain function.

High temporal resolution is necessary to resolve the rapidly changing patterns of brain activity that underlie mental function. Electroencephalography (EEG) provides temporal resolution in the millisecond range. However, traditional EEG technology and practice provide insufficient spatial detail to identify relationships between brain electrical events and structures and functions visualized by magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission tomography. Recent advances help to overcome this problem by recording EEGs from more electrodes, by registering EEG data with anatomical images, and by correcting the distortion caused by volume conduction of EEG signals through the skull and scalp. In addition, statistical measurements of sub-second interdependences between EEG time-series recorded from different locations can help to generate hypotheses about the instantaneous functional networks that form between different cortical regions during perception, thought and action. Example applications are presented from studies of language, attention and working memory. Along with its unique ability to monitor brain function as people perform everyday activities in the real world, these advances make modern EEG an invaluable complement to other functional neuroimaging modalities.     

急性轻中度缺氧EEG信号的复杂度研究

建立了一个急性高空缺氧实验模型,记录了四种不同高度条件下从缺氧前(正常呼吸)到缺氧后30分钟时的EEG,分析了其复杂度。发现缺氧引起复杂度明显变化,随时间和高度增加,一定程度缺氧可使EEG复杂度低于正常。表明EEG复杂度对脑缺氧较为敏感,可用于缺氧程度进行评估,有望成为临床诊断的一个指标。     

Event-related coherence and event-related desynchronization/synchronization in the 10 Hz and 20 Hz EEG during self-paced movements

To investigate the activity of cortical regions in the control of movement, we studied event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS), event-related coherence (ERC), and phase coherence in 29-channel EEGs from 9 subjects performing self-paced movements of the right index finger. Movement preparation and execution produced ERD over the sensorimotor areas at 10 Hz and 20 Hz, followed by ERS. ERD corresponded spatiotemporally to an increase in coherence over the frontocentral areas. For both frequency bands, ERD began over the left sensorimotor areas and became bilateral at the time of movement onset. The coherence increase with frontal areas began in the left central areas and became symmetrical after EMG onset. The ERD and coherence increase was longer at 10 Hz than at 20 Hz. Phase coherence at 10 Hz showed a lead of anterior regions to posterior regions throughout the time period, and at 20 Hz showed a tendency toward zero phase delay corresponding with the movement. EEG desynchronization parallels functional coupling over sensorimotor and frontal areas. Event-related coherence and phase coherence findings implicate the frontal lobes in control of movement planning and execution. The involvement of different frequency bands with different timings may represent parallel changes in the cortical network.