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One Phenomenon with Many Interpretations: Asymmetry of the Frontal EEG α Rhythm in Healthy People. Part I

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The asymmetry of the frontal α rhythm of the EEG as an index of the comparative activity of the left and right prefrontal cortex is an important biomarker characterizing the state of a person’s emotional and motivational domains. This review outlines the methodological aspects of signal detection and correlation and briefly discusses systemic relationships within the prefrontal cortex and between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, hippocampus, cingulate gyrus, and insular cortex. The evolutionary roots of the asymmetry of the prefrontal cortex, its heritability, and its associations with endocrine and immune indicators are considered. The main approaches to interpreting this parameter are formulated and a relationship between research results in this area and psychological theories of the emotions and motivation is demonstrated.

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  1. Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Novosibirsk, Russia

    M. Ye. Mel’nikov

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Translated from Uspekhi Fiziologicheskikh Nauk, Vol. 52, No. 3, pp. 56–80, July–September, 2021.

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Mel’nikov, M.Y. One Phenomenon with Many Interpretations: Asymmetry of the Frontal EEG α Rhythm in Healthy People. Part I. Neurosci Behav Physi 52, 1107–1126 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-022-01338-9

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