Skip to main content
Log in

Individual differences in brain dynamics: important implications for the calculation of event-related band power

  • Article
  • Published:
Biological Cybernetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

Measures of event-related band power such as event-related desynchronization (ERD) are conventionally analyzed within fixed frequency bands, although it is known that EEG frequency varies as a function of a variety of factors. The question of how to determine these frequency bands for ERD analyses is discussed and a new method is proposed. The rationale of this new method is to adjust the frequency bands to the individual alpha frequency (IAF) for each subject and to determine the bandwidth for the alpha and theta bands as a percentage of IAF. As an example, if IAF equals 12 Hz, the widths of the alpha and theta bands are larger as compared to a subject with an IAF of, e.g., only 8 Hz. The results of an oddball paradigm show that the proposed method is superior to methods that are based on fixed frequencies and fixed bandwidths.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Received: 22 July 1997 / Accepted in revised form: 22 April 1998

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Doppelmayr, M., Klimesch, W., Pachinger, T. et al. Individual differences in brain dynamics: important implications for the calculation of event-related band power. Biol Cybern 79, 49–57 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004220050457

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004220050457

Keywords

Navigation