Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG or QEEG) is a field concerned with the numerical analysis of
electroencephalography
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain. The biosignals detected by EEG have been shown to represent the postsynaptic potentials of pyramidal neurons in the neocortex ...
(EEG) data and associated behavioral correlates.
Details
Techniques used in digital signal analysis are extended to the analysis of
electroencephalography
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain. The biosignals detected by EEG have been shown to represent the postsynaptic potentials of pyramidal neurons in the neocortex ...
(EEG). These include
wavelet analysis and
Fourier analysis, with new focus on shared activity between rhythms including phase synchrony (coherence, phase lag) and magnitude synchrony (comodulation/correlation, and asymmetry).
The analog signal comprises a microvoltage time series of the EEG, sampled digitally and sampling rates adequate to over-sample the signal (using the
Nyquist principle of exceeding twice the highest frequency being detected). Modern EEG amplifiers use adequate sampling to resolve the EEG across the traditional medical band from DC to 70 or 100 Hz, using sample rates of 250/256, 500/512, to over 1000 samples per second, depending on the intended application.
QEEG can be performed by open-source toolboxes such as
EEGLAB EEGLAB is a MATLAB toolbox distributed under the free BSD license for processing data from electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and other electrophysiological signals. Along with all the basic processing tools, EEGLAB implemen ...
or the Neurophysiological Biomarker Toolbox.
Several QEEG products have received Class 2 FDA medical device clearance and the method has received some medical acceptance for use in epilepsy patients. However QEEG has not been endorsed by the American Academy of Neurology or the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society.
Barrett, Stephen, M.D. (2015). "How Useful Is a Quantitative Electroencephalogram (qEEG)?"
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Fourier analysis of EEG
The Fourier decomposes the EEG time series into a voltage by frequency spectral graph commonly called the "power spectrum", with power being the square of the EEG magnitude, and magnitude being the integral average of the amplitude of the EEG signal, measured from(+) peak-to-(-)peak), across the time sampled, or epoch. The epoch length determines the frequency resolution of the Fourier, with a 1-second epoch providing a 1 Hz resolution (plus/minus 0.5 Hz resolution), and a 4-second epoch providing ¼ Hz, or plus/minus 0.125 Hz resolution.
:
Where ''ξ ='' frequency
Wavelet analysis of EEG
A wavelet is a time-frequency transformation that allows analysis of EEG signals in the time extension that is not possible with Fourier analysis.
:
Where ''a = ''scaling; ''b ='' time
Uses
QEEG has been accepted for diagnostic evaluation in some areas, such as cerebro-vascular disorders, encephalopathy, dementia and epilepsy, though it remains yet to be accepted in other clinical areas, such as diagnosing mild traumatic brain injury or psychiatric disorders. The use of qEEG techniques in investigations in clinical and research settings are on going. QEEG has also been utilized to provide neurofeedback
Neurofeedback (NFB), also called neurotherapy, is a type of biofeedback that presents real-time feedback from brain activity in order to reinforce healthy brain function through operant conditioning. Typically, electrical activity from the brain i ...
, which is a form of biofeedback
Biofeedback is the process of gaining greater awareness of many physiology, physiological functions of one's own body by using Electronics, electronic or other instruments, and with a goal of being able to Manipulation (psychology), manipulate t ...
, wherein electrical activity in the brain is monitored by a computer program, which is applied to modulate visual or auditory stimuli - These stimuli, in turn, are designed to be controlled by the user.
References
* {{cite journal , last=Kececi , first=H. , last2=Degirmenci , first2=Y. , date=April 2008 , title=Quantitative EEG and Cognitive Evoked Potentials in Anemia , journal= Clinical Neurophysiology , volume=38 , issue=2 , pages=137–143 , doi=10.1016/j.neucli.2008.01.004 , pmid=18423335
Electroencephalography
Quantitative spectral analysis of EEG in psychiatry revisited: drawing signs out of numbers in a clinical setting. Clin Neurophysiol. 2003 Dec;114(12):2294-306.
The Role of Quantitative EEG in the Diagnosis of Neuropsychiatric Disorders.
J Med Life. Jan-Mar 2020;13(1):8-15.
CFC delta-beta is related with mixed features and response to treatment in bipolar II depression. Heliyon. 2019 Jun 13;5(6):e01898.