Neurovascular coupling (NVC) in newborns using processed EEG versus amplitude-EEG

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neonatal Neurology
• Physiological Monitoring

Background:

• Birth asphyxia is a global health burden requiring real-time physiological biomarkers.
• Previous work established non-invasive neurovascular coupling (NVC) assessment using dynamic wavelet transform coherence (WTC) analysis.
• The impact of processed EEG and amplitude-EEG (aEEG) variability on NVC determination in encephalopathic newborns was unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine if processed EEG and aEEG output variability affects NVC determination in newborns with encephalopathy.
• To compare NVC assessment using SctO2-processed EEG coherence versus SctO2-aEEG coherence.
• To validate a simpler method for NVC assessment in neonates.

Main Methods:

• Concurrent processed EEG and NIRS-based cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO2) data were collected for 20 hours in newborns.
• EEG data were band-pass filtered (2-15 Hz), rectified, and down-sampled to 0.21 Hz.
• Wavelet transform coherence (WTC) analysis was performed, followed by Bland-Altman comparison of SctO2-processed EEG and SctO2-aEEG coherence.

Main Results:

• A high and significant correlation (R2 = 0.96, p < 0.001) was found between NVC assessments using SctO2-processed EEG and SctO2-aEEG coherence.
• Processed EEG, when band-passed, rectified, and down-sampled, can be reliably paired with NIRS-SctO2 for NVC assessment.
• The findings confirm the validity of using processed EEG for NVC evaluation in this population.

Conclusions:

• Processed EEG and NIRS-SctO2 provide a reliable method for assessing NVC in newborns with encephalopathy.
• This approach simplifies NVC assessment in neonates, offering a potentially more accessible monitoring tool.
• The study supports the feasibility of using directly processed EEG for NVC evaluation, bypassing the need for aEEG.