14.02.2024

New publication on burst structure during photic driving in single-trial EEG analysis

New publication on burst structure during photic driving in single-trial EEG analysis

Figure: Average and single-trial time–frequency representations (TFRs) during stimulation. The three columns represent three different volunteers at different stimulation frequencies (fstim = 8.8; 14.4; 23Hz) in all three subfigures. (a) contains averaged TFRs across all trials. In (b), the temporal distribution of all occurred bursts for the respective volunteer and stimulation frequency is shown. (c) contains four examples of unaveraged TFRs, corresponding to the averaged TFRs in (a).

Photic driving effects in the visual cortex can be triggered by intermittent photic stimulation (IPS). These effects - entrainment and resonance phenomena - are typically characterized in averaged EEG data by a continuous oscillation during stimulation. We challenge this view of an ongoing oscillation by analyzing unaveraged data. EEG was recorded in fourteen healthy volunteers during visual stimulation with light flashes at eight stimulation frequencies between 7.8 and 23 Hz. While we find ongoing oscillations in the averaged data during intermittent photic stimulation, we find transient events (bursts) of activity in the unaveraged data. We argue that the continuous oscillations in the averaged signal may be composed of brief, transient bursts in single trials. Our results can also explain previously observed amplitude fluctuations in averaged photic driving data. Single-trial analyses might consequently improve our understanding of resonance and entrainment phenomena in the brain.

Oppermann, Hannes; Thelen, Antonia; Haueisen, Jens (2024).:

Single-trial EEG analysis reveals burst structure during photic driving. In: Clinical Neurophysiology 159, S. 66–74. (2023)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2024.01.005

 

Contact: M.Sc. Hannes Oppermann, Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil Jens Haueisen