Very low frequency EEG oscillations and the resting brain in young adults: a preliminary study of localisation, stability and association with symptoms of inattention

Helps, Suzannah K.; James, Christopher J.; Debener, Stefan; Karl, Anke; Sonuga‐Barke, Edmund

doi:10.1007/s00702-007-0825-2

Cited by 57 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Direct current EEG (DC-EEG) was used to measure VLF oscillations as it has excellent temporal resolution and offers a more direct measure of neural activity than BOLD signals (Demanuele et al, 2013). The current study builds on previous research which has identified a robust resting state VLF EEG network with high spatial stabilitiy and temporal reliability (Helps et al, 2008). The intra-cranial sources of this network have been shown to overlap with the DMN identified using fMRI (Broyd et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“Can waiting awaken the resting brain?” A comparison of waiting- and cognitive task-induced attenuation of very low frequency neural oscillations

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The default mode network (DMN) is characterised by coherent very low frequency (VLF) neural oscillations in the resting brain. The attenuation of this activity has been demonstrated following the transition from rest to performance of a broad range of cognitive goal-directed tasks. Whether the activity of resting state VLF oscillations is attenuated during non-cognitive goal-directed tasks such as waiting for rewarding outcomes is not known. This study examined the VLF EEG power from resting to performance of attention demanding task and two types of goal-directed waiting tasks. The association between the attenuation of VLF EEG power and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms was examined.Direct current EEG (DC-EEG) data was collected from 32 healthy young adults (half high and half low ADHD symptom scorers) during (i) a rest state, (ii) while performing a cognitive demanding reaction time task (2CRT), and (iii) while undertaking each of two different goal-directed waiting conditions: "forced-to-wait (FW)" and "choose-to-wait (CW)" tasks. The spatial distribution of VLF EEG power across scalp was similar to that seen in previous resting VLF EEG studies. Significant rest-to-task attenuation of VLF EEG power occurred during the 2CRT and the CW task, but not during the FW task. The association between self-ratings of ADHD symptoms and waiting-induced attenuation was not significant. This study suggests VLF EEG power attenuation that occurs following rest to task transition is not simply determined by changes in cognitive load. The goal-directed nature of a task, its motivated nature and/or the involvement of effortful attention may also contribute.Future studies should explore the attenuation of resting state VLF oscillations during waiting and impulsive choice.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“Can waiting awaken the resting brain?” A comparison of waiting- and cognitive task-induced attenuation of very low frequency neural oscillations

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Initial studies suggest that VLF EEG oscillations (0.06-0.2 Hz) which are spatially and temporally stable have a spatial distribution across the scalp that corresponds in some ways to the DM network locations (i.e., frontal and posterior midline, Helps et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Altered spontaneous low frequency brain activity in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Resting brain activity appears altered in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The default mode interference hypothesis (Sonuga-Barke & Castellanos, 2007) postulates that patterns of spontaneous very low frequency brain activity, typical of the resting brain, cause attention lapses in ADHD when they remain unattenuated following the transition from rest to active task performance. Here we test this hypothesis using DC-EEG.Methods: DC-EEG recordings of very low frequency brain activity (<1.5 Hz) were compared for 16 male children with ADHD and 16 healthy controls during both rest and active task performance (two-choice reaction time task).Results: A previously identified very low frequency resting network of electrodes was replicated. At rest ADHD children showed less EEG power in very low frequency bands (i.e., .02-.2 Hz). They also showed less attenuation of power at these frequency bands during restto-task transition. Reduced attenuation was associated with a number of measures of performance.Discussion: We confirmed the existence of altered very low frequency brain activity in ADHD.ADHD children may have deficits both in maintaining a resting brain when needed and 'protecting' an active brain from the intrusion of resting state brain activity.

show abstract

“…Such data would provide useful information about the relationship between brain electrical oscillations and behaviour, a link that has been explored in the works by , Monto et al, (2008) and Helps et al (2008), and is fundamental for advances in the assessment of child psychiatric disorders (Rothenberger, 2009).…”

Section: Slow Wave Power and The Putative Link To Attentionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Particularly, very low frequency oscillations (VLFOs, <0.5 Hz) have been recorded in the EEG of preterm neonates, during epileptic seizure activity (Vanhatalo et al, 2005), in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Helps et al 2008(Helps et al , 2010, and during sleep stages (Steriade et al, 1993;Vanhatalo et al, 2004). These VLFOs, first observed by Biswal et al (1995) within the motor cortex in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals during rest, appear to be intrinsically generated by the brain, are most prominent during rest and may allow temporal synchronisation to promote communication across diverse brain networks (Buzsáki and Draguhn, 2004;Fransson, 2005Fransson, , 2006.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuronal oscillations in the EEG under varying cognitive load: A comparative study between slow waves and faster oscillations

Demanuele

Broyd

Sonuga‐Barke

et al. 2013

Clinical Neurophysiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

the support of our participants, Suzannah Helps (Developmental Brain-Behaviour Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK) for her contributions to the task design, and Daniel Durstewitz (Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany) for useful comments on the manuscript. We also thank all three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. AbstractObjective: This study has been specifically designed to investigate very low frequency neuronal oscillations (VLFO, <0.5 Hz) during resting states and during goal-directed tasks of graded difficulty levels, quantify the changes that the slow waves undergo in these conditions and compare them with those for higher frequency bands (namely delta, theta and alpha).Methods: To this end we developed a multistage signal processing methodology comprising blind source separation coupled with a neural network based feature extraction and classification method.Results: Changes in the amplitude and phase of brain sources estimates in the VLF band between rest and task were enhanced with increased task difficulty, but remained lower than those experienced in higher frequency bands. The slow wave variations were also significantly correlated with task performance measures, and hence with the level of task-directed attention.Conclusions: These findings suggest that besides their prominent sensitivity to external stimulation, VLFOs also contribute to the cortical ongoing background activity which may not be specifically related to task-specific attention and performance.Significance: Our work provides important insight into the association between VLF brain activity and conventional EEG frequency bands, and presents a novel framework for assessing neural activity during various mental conditions and psychiatric states. Highlights• We present a novel approach for exploring the functional relationship between very low frequency EEG oscillations (VLFO, <0.5 Hz) recorded at rest and those following the transition to goaldirected tasks of graded difficulty levels.• We show that slow waves (i) are attenuated but not extinguished following a rest to task transition, and (ii) are sensitive to variations in cognitive load; (iii) the rest-to-task changes in the slow wave band correlate with performance measures and (iv) the changes are lower than those in higher frequency bands, tentatively suggesting the VLFOs' contribution to the cortical ongoing background activity.• We present a new signal processing methodology for quantifying changes in band-limited EEG activity -this method, developed to gain insight into the neurophysiological role of the slow waves, could be explored with respect to altered functioning of brain oscillators in psychiatric and neurobehavioural disorders such as schizophrenia and ADHD. C. Demanuele et al., 20123

show abstract

Very low frequency EEG oscillations and the resting brain in young adults: a preliminary study of localisation, stability and association with symptoms of inattention

Abstract: Initial evidence is provided for a pattern of VLFOs at rest which is associated with inattention symptoms.

Cited by 57 publications

References 23 publications

“Can waiting awaken the resting brain?” A comparison of waiting- and cognitive task-induced attenuation of very low frequency neural oscillations

“Can waiting awaken the resting brain?” A comparison of waiting- and cognitive task-induced attenuation of very low frequency neural oscillations

Altered spontaneous low frequency brain activity in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Neuronal oscillations in the EEG under varying cognitive load: A comparative study between slow waves and faster oscillations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About