Recent Advances in High Density EEG Research and its Epilepsy Applications

<strong>SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY </strong> a talk on <strong>Recent Advances in High Density EEG Research and its Epilepsy Applications</strong> Speaker:<strong> Prof. Ceon Ramon</strong>, University of Washington, Seattle, USA and Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland Date:<strong> 30th March 2015 (Monday)</strong> <strong>Abstract:</strong> High density (256-channel) EEG systems are able to map the electrical activity of the whole brain with a 2 cm spatial resolution. These systems are beginning to be used in cognitive and neuroscience research, including clinical applications, such as, epilepsy localization. In this talk, the basics of EEG generation and measurements from cortical electrical activity will be discussed. From measured EEG data, local and global phase synchronization patterns can be derived for normal and epileptic brain activity. The spatiotemporal plots of phase synchronization patterns derived from seizure-free, short duration (3-10min) interictal EEG data exhibit a higher intensity patterns in different EEG bands in the vicinity of epileptogenic zones in the brain. In contrast, the cross-frequency couplings in theta-gamma and beta-gamma bands were decreased and fragmented in the epileptogenic zones. Spatiotemporal plots of EEG phase also exhibit dynamical phase cone patterns which are similar to bubbles in the boiling water. The rates of formation of these phase cone patterns are higher in the vicinity of epileptogenic zones. These findings have a potential to localize epileptogenic zones in a noninvasive fashion from a seizure-free and spike-free short duration high density EEG data.