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Updated: Jul 28, 2026
Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2012
Correlation between BOLD-fMRI and EEG signal changes in response to visual stimulus frequency in humans
Manbir Singh1, Sungheon Kim, Tae-Seong Kim
1Department of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California (USC), University Park, Los Angeles 90089-1451, USA. msingh@usc.edu
Abstract:
The correlation between signals acquired using electroencephalography (EEG) and fMRI was investigated in humans during visual stimulation. Evoked potential EEG and BOLD fMRI data were acquired independently under similar conditions from eight subjects during stimulation by a checkerboard flashed at frequencies ranging from 2-12 Hz. The results indicate highly correlated changes in the strength of the EEG signal averaged over two occipital electrodes and the BOLD signal within the occipital lobe as a function of flash frequency for 7/8 subjects (average linear correlation coefficient of 0.76). Both signals peaked at approximately 8 Hz. For one subject the correlation coefficient was 0.20; the EEG signal peaked at 6 Hz and the BOLD signal peaked at 10 Hz. Overall, the EEG and BOLD signals, each averaged over 40-sec stimulation periods, appear to be coupled linearly during visual stimulation by a flashing checkerboard.
