Interaction between changes in local and temporospatial spectral EEG characteristics during exposure of humans to...

The temporospatial and local characteristics of the EEG were studied in healthy subjects during the respiration of a hypoxic oxygen-nitrogen gas mixture containing 8% oxygen. Analysis of the spectral power density, coherence, phase shift, similarity of dominant frequencies in the EEG in different leads was performed separately for epochs containing and not containing visually apparent patterns of EEG spatial synchronization. In addition, assessment of spectral measures took account of the fact of the dominance of the frequency being analyzed in the EEG spectrum of the corresponding lead. The results of these studies showed that overall, hypoxia was accompanied by a decrease in EEG coherence in the alpha range and, for connections in the left mid-temporal lead, the delta range. The beta range showed an increase in the values of this measure, while the theta range showed different changes in coherence: increases in epochs containing spatial synchronization patterns and decreases from control levels in other epochs. Hypoxia was also associated with increases in the EEG phase shift in the frontal and temporal leads (in relation to the EEG recordings in the other leads) in the delta and theta ranges. In the beta range, conversely, there was a decrease in the mean phase shift. Consideration of the fact of dominance of one or another frequency in the spectra of local EEG traces is needed for correct interpretation of analyses of temporospatial measures. A mathematical model of the interaction between processes at different frequencies is presented to explain some of the observations in the current work.