The ElectroEncephaloGramm

Cognitive Neuropsychology
January 16th, 2001

Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

History of the EEG

Biological Foundations of the EEG
Measuring the EEG
Analyzing the EEG
Applications of the EEG

The History of the EEG

1875 Caton records brain potentials from cortex
1883 Marxow discovers evoked potentials
1929 Berger records electrical activity from the
skull
1936 Gray Walter finds abnormal activity with
tumors
1957 The toposcope (imaging of electrical
brain activity)
1980 Color brain mapping (quantitative EEG)

Hans Berger EEG Pioneer

In 1929, Hans Berger
Recorded brain activity from the closed
skull
Reportet brain activity changes
according to the functional state of the
brain
Sleep
Hypnothesis
Pathological states (epilepsy)
First EEG recorded by Berger

Gray Walter Brain Imaging

The toposcope by Gray Walter

In 1957, Gray Walter

Makes recordings with
large numbers of
electrodes
Visualizes brain activity
with the toposcope
Shows that brain
rhythms change
according to the mental
task demanded

Outline
1. History of the EEG
2. Biological Foundations of the EEG
1.
2.
3.

3.
4.
5.

Brain Rhythms
Information Processing in the Neocortex
Summation Potentials

Measuring the EEG

Analyzing the EEG
Applications of the EEG

EEG in the States of Vigilance

Frequency Ranges
Beta:
Alpha:
Theta:
Delta:

14 30 Hz
8 13 Hz
5 7 Hz
1 4 Hz

Alpha Rhythm
Frequency:
Amplitude:
Location:
State of Mind:

8 13 Hz
5 100 microVolt
Occipital, Parietal
Alert Restfulness

Alpha blockade occurs when new stimulus is processed

Source: oscillating thalamic pacemaker neurons

Beta Rhythm
Frequency:
Amplitude:
Location:
State of Mind:

14 30 Hz
2 20 microVolt
Frontal
Mental Activity

Reflects specific information processing between cortex

and thalamus

Theta Rhythm
Frequency:
Amplitude:
Location:
State of Mind:

5 7 Hz
5 100 microVolt
Frontal, Temporal
Sleepiness

Nucleus reticularis slows oscillating thalamic neurons

Therefore diminished sensory throughput to cortex

Delta Rhythm
Frequency:
Amplitude:
Location:
State of Mind:

1 4 Hz
20 200 microVolt
Variable
Deep sleep

Oscillations in Thalamus and deep cortical layers

Usually inibited by ARAS (Ascending Reticular
Activation System)

Outline
1. History of the EEG
2. Biological Foundations of the EEG
1.
2.
3.

3.
4.
5.

Brain Rhythms
Information Processing in the Neocortex
Summation Potentials

Measuring the EEG

Analyzing the EEG
Applications of the EEG

Cortex Structure
The neocortex consists of six
distinct layers
I Molecular layer
II External granular layer
III External pyramidal layer
IV Internal granular layer
V Internal pyramidal layer
VI Polymorphic or
multiform layer

Cortex Structure Layer I

I Molecular layer
Molekularschicht
Apical dendrites of
pyramidal cells
Axons of stellate cells
(parallel to cortex surface)
Few cell bodies
Local (intracortical)
information exchange

Cortex Structure Layer II/ III

II External granular layer
uere Krnerschicht
III External pyramidal layer
uere Pyramidenschicht
Stellate & Small Pyramidal
Cells
Intercortical Information
Exchange
Afferent fibers from other
cortical areals enter the layers
Association (to the same
hemisphere) and commisural
(to the other hemisphere) fibers
leave cortex (reentry at
destination)

Cortex Structure Layer IV

IV Internal granular layer
Innere Krnerschicht
Stellate cells
Afferents from Thalamus
Numerous and complex
synaptic connections
Relay of thalamic
information to other
cortical layers
Information input layer
(well developed in sensory
cortex)

Cortex Structure Layer V

V Internal pyramidal layer
Innere Pyramidenschicht
Large pyramidal cells
Projection fibers to
subthalamic brain areas
Basal ganglia
Brain stem
Spinal chord

Information output layer

(well developed in motor
cortex)

Cortex Structure Layer VI

VI Multiform layer
Spindelzellschicht
Neurons of various shapes
(mainly fusiform)
Adjacent to white matter
Corticothalamical
information exchang

Cytoarchitecture Neocortex
Input layers:
II/IV (granular)
Output layers: III/V (pyramidal)
1: heterotypical agranular
cortex
Mainly pyramidal layers
(output)
Primary motor cortex

5: heterotypical granular
cortex
Mainly granular layers
(input)
Primary sensory cortex

2-4: homotypical cortex

Association areas
All layers developed

Outline
1. History of the EEG
2. Biological Foundations of the EEG
1.
2.
3.

3.
4.
5.

Brain Rhythms
Information Processing in the Neocortex
Summation Potentials

Measuring the EEG

Analyzing the EEG
Applications of the EEG

Summation Potentials
The EEG measures
not action potentials
not summation of
action potentials
but summation of
graded Post
Synaptic Potentials
(PSPs)
(only pyramidal cells:
dipoles between
soma and apical
dendrites)

Outline
1.
2.
3.

History of the EEG

Biological Foundations of the EEG
Measuring the EEG
The international 10/20 system
4. Analyzing the EEG
5. Applications of the EEG

The International 10/20

System

Terminology: 10/20 System

Nasion:
Inion:
Location:
Numbers:

point between the forehead and the skull

bump at the back of the skull
Frontal, Temporal, Parietal, Occipital, Central
z for the central line
Even numbers (2,4,6) right hemisphere, odd (1,3,5) left

EEG channels

Channel: Recording from a pair of electrodes (here with a common

reference: A1 left ear)
Multichannel EEG recording: up to 40 channels recorded in
parallel

Participants with Electrodes

EEG in clinical
diagnostics

EEG in scientific
research

Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.

History of the EEG

Biological Foundations of the EEG
Measuring the EEG
Analyzing the EEG
1.
2.
3.

Event Related Potentials

Spectral Analysis
Topographical Mapping

5. Applications of the EEG

Event Related Potentials

Averaging of trials
following a stimulus
Noise reduction: The
noise decreases by the
squareroot of the number
of trials
Far field potentials require
up to 1000 measurements
Assumption: no
habituation occurs
(participants dont get
used to stimulation)

Language specific ERP

Components
N400: Semantic mismatch
marker
P600: Syntactic mismatch
marker
Example Sentences:
Correct (Baseline): The cats won't eat
the food Mary gives them.
Semantic mismatch: The cats won't
bake the food Mary gives them.
Syntactic mismatch: The cats won't
eating the food Mary gives them.
Semantic and syntactic mismatch: The
cats won't baking the food Mary gives
them.

EEG Spectral Analysis

Fast Fourier Transform seperates spontaneous EEG
signal to component frequencies and amplitudes
Restriction: high frequency resolution demands long
(in the range of seconds) analysis windows

Topographical Maps
Topographical maps plot EEG data on a map of the
brain.
Data is interpolated between electrodes.
Usual data plotted:
ERP maps
potential changes

Spectral maps
frequency changes

Statistical maps
comparison of
measurements

Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

History of the EEG

Biological Foundations of the EEG
Measuring the EEG
Analyzing the EEG
Applications of the EEG
Weiss, Rappelsberger (2000)
Long-range EEG synchronization during word
encoding correlates with successful memory
performance

Methods Section 1
A set of 19 gold-cup electrodes was
glued to the scalp according to the
international
10/20-placement
system. Data were recorded against
the average signals of both earlobes
((A1 + A2) /2) which turned out to be
the most suitable reference for
coherence
analysis.
The
electrooculogram
(EOG)
was
recorded from two electrodes located
at the left later outer cantus and above
the right eye. Electrode impedance did
not exceed 8 k and signal bandpass
was 0.3 35 Hz. Data were
simultaneously monitored by an inkwriter system and digitally sampled at
256 Hz to be stored on hard disk.

After recording, the EEG data were

screened for artefacts (eye blinks,
horizontal and vertical eye movements,
muscle activities) by visual inspection
on a monitor and on paper. These two
methods allowed a very reliable
exclusion of the artefacts. Impedance
did not exceed 8 k and signal
bandpass was 0.3 35 Hz. Data were
simultaneously monitored by an inkwriter system and digitally sampled at
256 Hz to be stored on hard disk. After
recording, the EEG data were
screened for artefacts (eye blinks,
horizontal and vertical eye movements,
muscle activities) by visual inspection
on a monitor and on paper. These two
methods allowed a very reliable
exclusion of the artefacts.

Methods Section 2
EEG
was
recorded
during
memorization of the different lists
of nouns and during four
interspersed resting periods with
eyes open lasting one minute
each. According to the behavioral
results epochs of recalled and of
not recalled ones were selected for
further analysis. The beginning of
each noun was marked by a
trigger and the following 1 s EEG
epoch was Fourier-transformed.
All 1-s artefact-free epochs of the
resting EEG were also Fouriertransformed. On the average, per
subject, 16 4 epochs for recalled
nouns auditorily presented were
analysed, 28 5 for not recalled

nouns auditorily presented, 7 2

for
recalled
nuons
visually
presented, 14 4 for not recalled
nouns visually presented and 198
45 for the resting EEG. Then
averaged power spectra and
cross-power
spectra
were
computed for each subject.
According to the 19 elctrode
positions, 19 averaged power
spectra were computed. Cross
power spectra were computed.
Cross
power
spectra
were
computed between all possible
pairs, which yielded 171 values per
frequency.

Methods Section 3
To reduce the large data set the
adjacent spectral values vere
averaged to obtain broadband
parameters for the following
frequency bands: delta-1 (1 2
Hz), delta-2 (3 4 Hz), theta (5 7
Hz), alpha-1 (8 10 Hz), alpha-2
(11 12 Hz), and beta-1 (13 18
Hz). Finally, 19 mean amplitudes
(square root of power) per
frequency band were computed
and the normalization of the 171
cross-power spectra yielded 171
coherence values per frequency
band. Grand mean values were
obtained by averaging amplitude
and coherence values across
subjects.

Since it has been demonstrated

that,
especially, lower
EEG
frequencies were correlated with
memory
processes,
we
predominantely investigated lower
frequency bands in the present
study. The division into distinct,
well-selected frequency bands was
made since several studies point
at their different functional role
during cognitive processing.

Coherence Map

A coherence map plots differences in

coherence between recalled and not recalled
nouns.

Results
Overall increase of coherence for recalled vs.
not recalled nouns
Long range synchronization of frontal and
temporal/parietal neuronal assemblies
increases for recalled nouns.

Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

History of the EEG

Biological Foundations of the EEG
Measuring the EEG
Analyzing the EEG
Applications of the EEG
Thank you for your attention!