MATLAB Toolboxes for Reference Electrode Standardization Technique (REST) of Scalp EEG

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Signal Processing

Background:

• The Reference Electrode Standardization Technique (REST) is a valuable re-referencing method for electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERPs).
• A need exists for accessible tools to implement REST for scalp EEG data analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and provide open-source MATLAB toolboxes for simplifying the application of REST in EEG analysis.
• To offer both an EEGLAB-integrated version and a batch version for diverse user needs.

Main Methods:

• Development of two distinct MATLAB toolboxes for REST.
• One toolbox is integrated into the EEGLAB environment.
• A standalone batch version is provided for efficiency.

Main Results:

• Successfully created user-friendly and flexible REST toolboxes.
• The toolboxes facilitate the transformation of multi-channel EEG recordings to approximately zero reference.
• Comparative analysis demonstrates the utility of REST against average referencing.

Conclusions:

• The developed REST toolboxes enhance the accessibility and application of this novel re-referencing technique in EEG studies.
• These open-source resources aim to support both novice and experienced researchers in EEG data processing.