Narrowband vs. broadband phase synchronization analysis applied to independent components of ictal and interictal EEG

This paper presents a comparison of the use of broadband and narrow band signals for phase synchronization analysis as applied to Independent Components of ictal and interictal scalp EEG in the context of seizure onset detection and prediction. Narrow band analysis for phase synchronization is found to be better performed in the present context than the broad band signal analysis. It has been observed that the phase synchronization of Independent Components in a narrow band (particularly the Gamma band) shows a prominent trend of increasing and decreasing synchronization at seizure onset near the epileptogenic area (spatially). This information is not always found to be consistent in analysis with the raw EEG signals, which may show spurious synchronization happening due to volume conduction effects. These observations lead us to believe that tracking changes in phase synchronization of narrow band activity, on continuous data records will be of great value in the context of seizure prediction.