Analysis of EEG EP variabilities: A parametric approach

Abstract

An user friendly Evoked Potential (EP) analysis software isdeveloped, which includes data processing procedures relevant toboth basic EP research and routine clinical applications. Theprogram allows analysis of data in time and frequency domains bymeans of parametric and nonparametric signal analysis methods.All the parameters of the applied techniques can easily beaccessed by the user through the menu driven user interface.A method based on parametric modelling of prestimulus EEGperiod and poststimulus EEG-EP period of evoked potential data,is developed to find out the descriptors of a combined EEG-EPmodel explaining the trial-by-trial variability of EPs to therepetitions of the same stimulus. The application of the proposedmethod to real EP data revealed a close relationship between thecharacteristics of the prestimulus EEG and EP which made itpossible to estimate single EPs by clustering single sweepsaccording to their prestimulus EEG characteristics. The methodis tested for the bias of the estimates and its application topathological clinical cases is discussed.