Correlation of PET and qEEG in normal subjects

Positron emission tomography (PET) and quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) were obtained in 15 normal male subjects with eyes closed at rest. Correlations between qEEG variables and regional metabolism were examined as an approach to investigating the metabolic and neuroanatomical basis of the generation of the EEG. Analogous to the neurometric approach to qEEG, a normative 2-fluoro-deoxyglucose voxel data base was developed for the PET image. The PET image was transformed to an idealized cylindrical set of coordinates to allow registration with the Talairach stereotactic atlas. PET regions of interest for the thalamus, the left and right temporal lobes, the medial frontal cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were defined using Talairach coordinates and correlated to the QEEG. Salient findings included a negative correlation of thalamic metabolism to alpha power and a positive correlation of medial frontal cortical metabolism to delta EEG power. The significance of these findings is discussed with reference to the existing literature on the physiology of the generation of the EEG.