Interpreting EEG alpha activity

Bazanova, Olga; Вернон, Д.

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.05.007

Cited by 416 publications

(335 citation statements)

References 195 publications

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“…2006; Gaillard et al. 2009; Bazanova and Vernon 2014). Here we report functional differences between perceived and nonperceived action stimuli in central sites but not in occipital sites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Power modulation of electroencephalogram mu and beta frequency depends on perceived level of observed actions

Simon

Mukamel

2016

Brain and Behavior

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IntroductionThe ability to understand actions and intentions of others is of great importance to social relationships and is associated with the mirror neuron system of the human brain. Whether conscious perception of specific actions is necessary to trigger activity in this system, or alternatively whether this response is independent of conscious perception is not known.MethodsWe addressed this issue by rendering videos of right hand movements invisible to conscious perception, and measuring electroencephalogram (EEG) power suppression in the mu (8–13 Hz) and beta (15–25 Hz) range as index corresponding to the magnitude of mirror neuron activity.ResultsIn the beta range over bilateral sensorimotor sites, we find that suppression indices follow the reported perceptual level of subjects with stronger suppression for consciously perceived trials. Furthermore, in the nonperceived trials, oscillation power is significantly suppressed relative to baseline. In the low mu range (8–10 Hz), oscillation power over the left sensorimotor site is significantly more suppressed in the consciously perceived versus nonperceived trials.ConclusionsOur data suggest that the intensity of mirror system responses during action observation decreases with the observers' perception level yet remains significant during observation of invisible actions. Such subliminal activity could help explain phenomena such as covert imitation.

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“…2006; Gaillard et al. 2009; Bazanova and Vernon 2014). Here we report functional differences between perceived and nonperceived action stimuli in central sites but not in occipital sites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Power modulation of electroencephalogram mu and beta frequency depends on perceived level of observed actions

Simon

Mukamel

2016

Brain and Behavior

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“…The functional significance of the EEG alpha frequency band activity is discussed controversially (Bazanova and Vernon 2013). Power in the alpha bands increases with internally directed attention (Cooper et al 2003) and in a relaxed state of alert wakefulness (Işoğlu-Alkaç and Strüber 2006;Klimesch 1999;Müller et al 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zazen meditation and no-task resting EEG compared with LORETA intracortical source localization

Faber¹,

Lehmann²,

Gianotti

et al. 2014

Cogn Process

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Meditation is a self-induced and willfully initiated practice that alters the state of consciousness. The meditation practice of Zazen, like many other meditation practices, aims at disregarding intrusive thoughts while controlling body posture. It is an open monitoring meditation characterized by detached moment-to-moment awareness and reduced conceptual thinking and self-reference. Which brain areas differ in electric activity during Zazen compared to task-free resting? Since scalp electroencephalography (EEG) waveforms are reference-dependent, conclusions about the localization of active brain areas are ambiguous. Computing intracerebral source models from the scalp EEG data solves this problem. In the present study we applied source modeling using low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) to 58-channel scalp EEG data recorded from 15 experienced Zen meditators during Zazen and no-task resting. Zazen compared to no-task resting showed increased alpha-1 and alpha-2 frequency activity in an exclusively right-lateralized cluster extending from prefrontal areas including the insula to parts of the somatosensory and motor cortices and temporal areas. Zazen also showed decreased alpha and beta-2 activity in the left angular gyrus and decreased beta-1 and beta-2 activity in a large bilateral posterior cluster comprising the visual cortex, the posterior cingulate cortex and the parietal cortex. The results include parts of the default mode network and suggest enhanced automatic memory and emotion processing, reduced conceptual thinking and self-reference on a less judgmental, i.e., more detached moment-to-moment basis during Zazen compared to no-task resting. Computing intracerebral source models from the scalp EEG data solves this problem. In the present study we applied source modeling using low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) to 58-channel scalp EEG data recorded from 15 experienced Zen meditators during Zazen and no-task resting. Zazen compared to no-task resting showed increased alpha-1 and alpha-2 frequency activity in an exclusively right-lateralized cluster extending from prefrontal areas including the insula to parts of the somatosensory and motor cortices and temporal areas. Zazen also showed decreased alpha and beta-2 activity in the left angular gyrus and decreased beta-1 and beta-2 activity in a large bilateral posterior cluster comprising the visual cortex, the posterior cingulate cortex and the parietal cortex. The results include parts of the default mode network and suggest enhanced automatic memory and emotion processing, reduced conceptual thinking and self-reference on a less judgmental, i.e., more detached moment-to-moment basis during Zazen compared to no-task resting.

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“…STFT cannot, however, differentiate possible brain subsystems related to alpha activity as they can share the same frequency. Such differentiation can be addressed by considering other aspects of alpha rhythm, including the spindle-form segmental organization (Bazanova andVernon 2014, Timofeev et al 2002) which can independently detect ABS activity.…”

Section: The Abs Detection Algorithmmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is widely accepted that activity within the alpha frequency band (8-13 Hz) appears in the occipital lobe(s) of awake, relaxed subjects with eyes-closed and becomes attenuated when subjects open their eyes or exert mental effort (Berger 1929, Niedermeyer 2005. The latter phenomenon is called the "Berger effect," and the preceding alpha oscillatory episodes in the EEG signal are often called "Berger waves" (Bazanova and Vernon 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between alpha burst activity and the default mode network

Rusiniak¹,

Wróbel²,

Cieśla³

et al. 2018

Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis

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Alpha rhythm, described by Hans Berger, is mainly recorded from the occipital cortex (OCC) of relaxed subjects with their eyes closed.Early studies indicated the thalamo-cortical circuit as the origin of alpha rhythm. Recent works suggest an additional relationship between alpha rhythm and the Default Mode Network (DMN). We simultaneously recorded electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals in 36 young males asked to alternately close and open their eyes in 30-s blocks.Using an EEG source channel montage (the recorded signal was interpolated to designated source positions corresponding to certain brain regions) we found an alpha rhythm sub-activity composed of its intrinsic events, called alpha bursting segments (ABS). More ABS were observed on source channels related to the DMN than those located over the OCC. Similarly, both the beamformer source analysis and fMRI indicated that the specific ABS activity detected on the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus (PCC) source channel was less related to the OCC than to the DMN source channels. The fMRI analysis performed using the PCC-ABS as a general linear model regressor indicated an increased blood oxygenation level-dependent signal change in DMN nodes -precuneus and prefrontal cortex. These results confirm the OCC source of alpha activity and additional specific sources of ABS in the DMN.

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Interpreting EEG alpha activity

Cited by 416 publications

References 195 publications

Power modulation of electroencephalogram mu and beta frequency depends on perceived level of observed actions

Power modulation of electroencephalogram mu and beta frequency depends on perceived level of observed actions

Zazen meditation and no-task resting EEG compared with LORETA intracortical source localization

The relationship between alpha burst activity and the default mode network

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