Scaling behavior in beta-wave amplitude modulation and its relationship to alertness

We performed an experimental study of beta waves occurring in human electroencephalographic signals obtained from six healthy subjects that were monitored during the performance of a task requiring attention to auditory signals. We use wavelet analysis to study whether the fluctuations in the modulation of the beta-wave amplitude related to an indirect measurement of alertness. We found that these fluctuations exhibit a power-law behavior. When the level of alertness dropped, the associated exponent was found to increase, reflecting the fact that long-range correlations grow rapidly within the system. We also studied the fluctuations of amplitude modulation for alpha and theta waves, for which we did not find a power-law behavior.