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EEG coherence: topography and frequency structure

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Abstract

Topographical patterns of bipolar EEG coherence are frequency specific, indicating the presence of diverse neuroanatomical and neurophysiological factors in EEG production. Bipolar EEG coherence values were calculated at 50 frequency bins ranging from 3 to 28 Hz for 39 coherence pairs. Data were derived from 4.25 min of resting EEG obtained from 106 healthy adult male subjects and analyzed in 0.5 Hz bins by Fourier transform methods. Frequency bands were clearly separated at 8.5 and 13 Hz, with a less distinct separations at 6 and 20 Hz. Within pair (non-topographic) and across pair (topographic), measures gave similar patterns of separation. Significant pathways were primarily anterior–posterior interhemispheric or perpendicular to the anterior–posterior axis. There was little difference between left and right for comparable pairs. Theta band coherent activity involves distinct midline and temporal sources, with temporal sources showing anterior/posterior differentiation. In contrast, alpha activity has a distinct posterior focus, while beta activity shows no clear global structure. A spatially homogeneous model based on characteristics of thalamocortical connectivity accounts for much of the data, but departures from the model indicate the contribution of other neural factors to coherence.

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Acknowledgments

We thank our present and former colleagues at the Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Laboratory for their help in preparing this paper. We thank Jay Weedon for enlightening discussions of data analysis, as well as two anonymous reviewers whose comments and questions led to signficant improvements in this paper. We dedicate this paper to the memory of Henri Begleiter, who encouraged the first steps in its creation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Ave., Brooklyn, NY, USA

    David Balin Chorlian, Madhavi Rangaswamy & Bernice Porjesz

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  1. David Balin Chorlian
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  2. Madhavi Rangaswamy
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  3. Bernice Porjesz
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Correspondence to David Balin Chorlian.

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This work was supported by NIAAA Grants AA002686, AA005524, and AA008401 at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

Appendix: location of coherence pairs

Appendix: location of coherence pairs

The table presents a classification of all pairs used in this study. Figures illustrating the scalp locations follow (see Tables 1, 2; Figs. 15, 16).

Table 1 Classification of coherence pairs
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Table 2 Distance between coherence pairs
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Fig. 15
figure 15

Left panel, fronto-central electrodes and sagittal bipolar derivations. Right panel, red lines connect midpoints of coherence pairs for all pairs calculations. Central–parietal is similar. Frontal and occipital pairs not illustrated

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Fig. 16
figure 16

Left panel derivations and coherence pairs for lateral intrahemispheric and interhemispheric coherence pairs. Right panel derivations and coherence pairs for lateral midline and diagonal coherence pairs

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Chorlian, D.B., Rangaswamy, M. & Porjesz, B. EEG coherence: topography and frequency structure. Exp Brain Res 198, 59–83 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-009-1936-9

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