Performance analysis of univariate and multivariate EEG measurements in the diagnosis of ADHD.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the performance of univariate and multivariate EEG measurements in diagnosing ADHD subjects in a broad age range. METHODS: EEG from eight cortical regions were recorded at rest during eyes open and eyes closed in 22 male ADHD subjects of combined type and 21 healthy male controls (age range 4-15 years). Univariate and interdependence measurements calculated from the frequency domain and from the reconstructed state spaces of EEG signals were computed, and their performance in discriminating ADHD from healthy subjects was analyzed. RESULTS: Significant between-group differences in univariate measures were age-dependent. However, certain interdependence inter-hemispheric measures during eyes closed showed significant, age-independent between-groups differences. Among them, coherence in the beta band between inter-occipital regions and between left/occipital-right/central regions provided an overall accuracy classification rate of 74.4%. Even greater accuracy (86.7%) was obtained by an interdependence index of generalized synchronization between left/occipital-right/central regions and left/central-right/temporal regions. CONCLUSIONS: EEG beta coherence and especially the degree of generalized synchronization between a few inter-hemispheric regions during resting state with eyes closed allow a high accuracy classification rate of ADHD subjects. SIGNIFICANCE: Changes in inter-hemispheric EEG functional brain connectivity at rest are useful for ADHD diagnosis in a broad age range.

Assessment of electroencephalographic functional connectivity in term and preterm neonates.

OBJECTIVE: To study how functional connectivity of neonate EEG during sleep is assessed by different interdependence indices and to analyze its dependence on conceptional (CA), gestational (GA) and/or chronological age (CRA). METHODS: EEG data from eight cortical regions were recorded during active (AS) and quiet sleep (QS) in three groups of seven neonates each: preterm (PT; GA: 33-34 weeks; CA: 39-40 weeks), junior-term (JT; GA: 38-39 weeks; CA: 39-40 weeks) and senior-term neonates (ST; GA: 38-39 weeks; CA: 44-45 weeks). EEG functional connectivity was assessed by means of the coherence function (its magnitude (MSC) and its imaginary part (IMC)) and a measure of phase synchronization called phase lag index (PLI). RESULTS: Inter-hemispheric connectivity: (a) during AS in the beta band, the MSC of the ST group was greater than that of the PT group for the temporal region; (b) during QS in the delta band, both PLI and IMC of the ST group were different to those of the PT group for the frontopolar and central regions, whereas ST-JT differences were only found for PLI. Intra-hemispheric connectivity: (a) during AS in the beta band the MSC of the ST group was greater than that of the PT group for the left frontopolar-centrotemporal and right occipital-centrotemporal regions; (b) during QS in the beta band, both IMC and PLI were different for the JT group than for the PT and the ST groups for the right and left occipital-centrotemporal regions. CONCLUSIONS: EEG inter- and intra-hemispheric functional connectivity in neonates during sleep changes with the CA and CRA in delta and beta bands. SIGNIFICANCE: The neonate's brain development during the first weeks of life can be traced from changes in the characteristics of EEG functional connectivity.

Evolution of wakefulness, sleep and hibernation: from reptiles to mammals.

Thus far, most hypotheses on the evolutionary origin of sleep only addressed the probable origin of its main states, REM and NREM. Our article presents the origin of the whole continuum of mammalian vigilance states including waking, sleep and hibernation and the causes of the alternation NREM-REM in a sleeping episode. We propose: (1) the active state of reptiles is a form of subcortical waking, without homology with the cortical waking of mammals; (2) reptilian waking gave origin to mammalian sleep; (3) reptilian basking behaviour evolved into NREM; (4) post-basking risk assessment behaviour, with motor suspension, head dipping movements, eye scanning and stretch attending postures, evolved into phasic REM; (5) post-basking, goal directed behaviour evolved into tonic REM and (6) nocturnal rest evolved to shallow torpor. A small number of changes from previous reptilian stages explain these transformations.

Nonlinearity and fractality in the variability of cardiac period in the lizard, Gallotia galloti: effects of autonomic blockade.

Both nonlinear and fractal properties of beat-to-beat R-R interval variability signal (RRV) of freely moving lizards (Gallotia galloti) were studied in baseline and under autonomic nervous system blockade. Nonlinear techniques allowed us to study the complexity, chaotic behavior, nonlinearity, stationarity, and regularity over time of RRV. Scaling behavior of RRV was studied by means of fractal techniques. The autonomic nervous system blockers used were atropine, propranolol, prazosin, and yohimbine. The nature of RRV was linear in baseline and under beta-, alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-adrenoceptor blockades. Atropine changed the linear nature of RRV to nonlinear and increased its stationarity, regularity and fractality. Propranolol increased the complexity and chaotic behavior, and decreased the stationarity, regularity, and fractality of RRV. Both prazosin and yohimbine did not change any of the nonlinear and fractal properties of RRV. It is suggested that 1) the use of both nonlinear and fractal analysis is an appropriate approach for studying cardiac period variability in reptiles; 2) the cholinergic activity, which seems to make the alpha(1)-, alpha(2)- and beta-adrenergic activity interaction unnecessary, determines the linear behavior in basal RRV; 3) fractality, as well as both RRV regularity and stationarity over time, may result from the balance between cholinergic and beta-adrenergic activities opposing actions; 4) beta-adrenergic activity may buffer both the complexity and chaotic behavior of RRV, and 5) neither the alpha(1)- nor the alpha(2)-adrenergic activity seem to be involved in the mediation of either nonlinear or fractal components of RRV.

Autonomic mediation in the interdependences between cardiocortical activity time variations and between cardiorespiratory activity time variations in the lizard, Gallotia galloti.

Multivariate nonlinear analysis methods were applied to variability time series extracted from electrocardiographic, electrocorticographic and respiratory activities of Gallotia galloti lizards, to study interdependences between cardio-cortical activity time variations, and between cardio-respiratory activity time variations. Autonomic nervous system involvement in the mediation of such interdependences was investigated through pharmacological blockade. Cardiac variability was evaluated from the R-R intervals of the electrocardiogram (RRIv). Cortical (CORTv) and respiratory (RESPv) activity time variations were evaluated from power-data signals derived from both electrocorticogram and respiratory signal segments obtained within each R-R interval, respectively. A nonlinear index N to measure interdependence between the signals, and a surrogate data test to measure the significance and nature of the interdependences were used. A nonlinear dependence of RRIv vs. CORTv and of RRIv vs. RESPv was found. Both dependences seem to be unconnected with the functioning of both alpha(1)-adrenoceptor and cholinoceptor systems, but appear to be mediated by beta-adrenoceptor mechanisms. A linear dependence of CORTv vs. RRIv and of RESPv vs. RRIv was also found. Both dependences seem to be unconnected with the operation of alpha(1)-adrenoceptor, beta-adrenoceptor and cholinoceptor systems. It is suggested that both the cardiocortical and cardiorespiratory synchronizations studied seem to be mediated by beta-adrenoceptor mechanisms.

Maturational changes in the interdependencies between cortical brain areas of neonates during sleep.

This work aims at assessing the maturational changes in the interdependence between the activities of different cortical areas in neonates during active sleep (AS) and quiet sleep (QS). Eight electroencephalography (EEG) channels were recorded in 3 groups of neonates of increasing postmenstrual age. The average linear (AVL) and average nonlinear (AVN) interdependencies of each electrode region with the remaining ones were calculated using the coherence function and a recently developed index of nonlinear coupling between 2 signals in their state spaces, respectively. In theta band, AVL increased with neonate's age for central and temporal regions during QS. In beta band, AVL increased for most cortical regions during QS and a parallel decrease of AVL with neonate's age was found during AS. For all regions, beta AVL was greater in AS than in QS in preterm neonates but the reverse happened in older term neonates. Contrarily to AVL, AVN decreased with age during QS for most cortical regions. Surrogate data test showed that the interdependencies were nonlinear in preterm and younger term neonates but in older term both linear and nonlinear interdependencies coexisted. It is concluded that neonatal maturation is associated with changes in the magnitude and character of the EEG interdependencies during sleep.

Comparing generalized and phase synchronization in cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory signals.

We made use of multivariate nonlinear analysis methods to study the interdependence between the cardiac interval variability and both the respiratory activity and the systolic pressure in rats. The study was carried out in basal conditions and after the application of different drugs affecting the cardiovascular system. The results showed that there are changes both in the extent and in the directionality of such interdependences because of the drugs. The inhibition of the NO and the parasympathetic blockade changed the cardiovascular coordination, with the latter one also modifying the interdependence between the cardiac interval and the respiratory signal. This suggests that the nonlinear approach might be very helpful to explore the interaction between subsystems of the cardiovascular control system.

Time-related interdependence between low-frequency cortical electrical activity and respiratory activity in lizard, Gallotia galloti.

Electroencephalograms of medial cortex and electromyograms of intercostal muscles (EMG-icm) were simultaneously recorded in the lizard, Gallotia galloti, during two daily time periods (at daytime, DTP: 1200-1600 h; by night, NTP: 0000-0400 h), to investigate whether a relationship exists between the respiratory and cortical electrical activity of reptiles, and, if so, how this relationship changes during the night rest period. Testing was carried out by studying interdependence between cortical electrical and respiratory activities, by means of linear and nonlinear signal analysis techniques. Both physiological activities were evaluated through simultaneous power signals, derived from the power of the low-frequency band of the electroencephalogram (pEEG-LF), and from the power of the EMG-icm (pEMG-icm), respectively. During both DTP and NTP, there was a significant coherence between both signals in the main frequency band of pEMG-icm. During both DTP and NTP, the nonlinear index N measured significant linear asymmetric interdependence between pEEG-LF and pEMG-icm. The N value obtained between pEEG-LF vs. pEMG-icm was greater than the one between pEMG-icm vs. pEEG-LF. This means that the system that generates the pEEG-LF is more complex than the one that generates the pEMG-icm, and suggests that the temporal variability of power in the low-frequency cortical electrical activity is driven by the power of the respiratory activity.

Non-linear asymmetric interdependencies in the electroencephalogram of healthy term neonates during sleep.

The multichannel electroencephalograph (EEG) of six healthy term neonates was recorded during awake as well as during active and quiet sleep. The existence and nature of the interdependencies among the different brain areas were studied by means of a multivariate variant of the surrogate data method. Such interdependencies were then quantified by using the coherence function and a newly developed non-linear index. The results showed that during quiet sleep these interdependencies were mostly non-linear, asymmetric and greater than those found during both awake and active sleep. We conclude that the index might be useful to define patterns of EEG interdependencies in healthy neonates, thereby allowing the early detection of brain dysfunctions.

Evidence of state-dependent interhemispheric relationships in lizard EEG during the awake state.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) from both hemispheres of eight Canary lizards Gallotia galloti was registered at 25 degrees C and 35 degrees C during awake state with open eyes (OE) and closed eyes. The possible interdependence between the recorded EEGs was assessed by means of newly developed methods of multivariate nonlinear time-series analysis. The interdependence turned out to be significant and greater for the OE state at both temperatures, although it was of linear type in most of the cases. We conclude that the methods can be successfully applied to study the interdependence between noisy, low-amplitude EEGs.