Association of the retrospective self-report ratings with the dynamics of EEG

Abstract

The neural underpinnings of subjective experience during resting state remain elusive. Dynamic features of EEG oscillations may provide more understanding of the relationship between the content of inner conscious experience and electrical brain activity. We tested a correlation of rating on the Amsterdam Resting-State Questionnaire (ARSQ) with dynamic parameters of EEG recorded in 49 healthy volunteers during the 10-min resting session. The participants filled ARSQ immediately after the rest. We investigated both linear (1 Hz-band power spectral density - PSD) and dynamic features (standard deviation and frequency of Hilbert envelope) of EEG averaged for the whole resting-state segment. Besides, we conducted a procedure of k-mean clustering based on PSD, localization of components retrieved by independent component analysis for 10-sec EEG epochs to assess spectral and temporal variability of EEG. The correlation analysis showed that the increase of PSD and cluster duration of the high-frequency alpha rhythm (12–13 Hz) in central and frontal areas was positively associated with the rating of experienced thoughts related to Planning (r = 0.44). The time of the presence of low amplitude delta oscillations correlated negatively with Planning (r = -0.52). The participants with higher ARSQ scores of Visual Thoughts had a higher standard deviation of the wideband (1–30 Hz) Hilbert envelope. Our data suggest that the dynamic properties of EEG reflect cognitive states assessed by ARSQ.

Data-Driven EEG Theta and Alpha Components Are Associated with Subjective Experience during Resting State

“…Similarly, based on the initial observation by Diaz et al [ 16 ], it is expected that at least one f-PC in the theta frequency range (4–7.5 Hz) is positively correlated with the ARSQ domain of Sleepiness. Finally, in line with the report by Portnova et al [ 22 ], we anticipate that at least one of the alpha f-PCs is positively associated with the ARSQ domain of Planning. We also evaluate other possible associations between distinct f-PCs and the domains of the ARSQ.…”

“…No associations were observed with components in the delta and beta frequency ranges, although Portnova et al [ 22 ] previously reported a negative correlation between the power spectrum density from 2–3 Hz and Planning. However, it should be noted that both the extracted D1 (peaking at 0.5 Hz) and B1 (peaking at 17 Hz) components were somewhat different from those reported previously: D1 resembled activity over the left frontal area, peaking at the FP1, AF7, and F7 electrodes, while reports in the literature have observed maximum activities in the central, fronto-central, and right frontal areas [ 40 , 41 , 67 ].…”

“…The ARSQ appeared to be a useful tool to relate biological signals collected over the resting-state session with participants’ subjective experiences and emotions. Several studies using different brain-imaging modalities and applying different analysis methods have reported associations with the ARSQ domains (DoM [ 24 , 26 ], ToM [ 20 ], Self [ 25 , 26 ], Planning [ 18 , 22 ], Sleepiness [ 16 , 24 ], Comfort [ 18 , 24 , 25 ], Somatic Awareness [ 18 , 21 , 25 , 26 ], Visual Thought [ 24 ], and Verbal Thought [ 26 ]). However, none of the studies has implemented an f-PCA approach for EEG quantification.…”

“…The Amsterdam Resting-State Questionnaire (ARSQ) [ 16 , 17 ] assesses ten mind-wandering domains that participants might experience during the resting session: Discontinuity of Mind (DoM), referring to the dynamics of ongoing thoughts; Theory of Mind (ToM), referring to other-people-related thoughts; Self, referring to self-related thoughts; Planning, referring to future-directed thoughts; Sleepiness, referring to the level of drowsiness; Comfort, referring to the level of relaxation during the session; Somatic Awareness (SA), referring to the interoceptive awareness of one’s own body; Health Concern (HC), referring to general well-being; Visual Thought (Vis), referring to visual imagery during mind wandering; and Verbal Thought (VT), referring to spontaneous thoughts formulated in words. Several EEG, fMRI, and behavioral studies have reported the relationship between ARSQ domains and physiological or psychological variables in healthy [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ] and clinical cohorts [ 27 , 28 ], confirming the importance of combined measures of subjective experience and biologically defined signals.…”

Relationship between Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Brain at Rest and Self-Reported Spontaneous Thoughts: An EEG Microstate Approach

“…The ARSQ covers ten resting-state cognition domains: Discontinuity of Mind (DoM), Theory of Mind (ToM), Self, Planning, Sleepiness, Comfort, Somatic Awareness (SA), Health Concerns (HC), Visual Thought (Vis) and Verbal Thought (VT) [12,13]. This tool has been successfully applied in neuroimaging studies, including those using EEG [14][15][16][17][18][19].…”