Neural basis for the brain responses to the marketing messages: an high resolution EEG study

We investigated the behaviour of the brain during the visualization of commercial videos by tracking the cortical activity and the functional connectivity changes in normal subjects. High resolution EEG recordings were performed in a group of healthy subjects, and the cortical activity during the visualization of standard commercial spots and emotional spots (no profit companies) was estimated by using the solution of the linear inverse problem with the use of realistic head models. The cortical activity was evaluated in several regions of interest (ROIs) coincident with the Brodmann areas. The pattern of cortical connectivity was obtained by using the partial directed coherence (PDC) and investigated in the time and frequency domains, in the principal four frequency bands, namely the theta (4-7 Hz), the alpha (8-12 Hz), the beta (13-30 Hz) and the gamma (above 30 Hz). Results suggest a time-varying engagement of the orbitofrontal circuits that is thought to be involved in the reward value of the stimuli.