Functional connectivity using high density EEG shows competitive reliability and agreement across test/retest...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Resting state functional connectivity using high-density electroencephalography (hdEEG) is increasingly utilized.
• hdEEG's high resolution allows for cortical surface source localization.
• Numerous methodological choices exist for hdEEG acquisition and analysis, impacting results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extensively examine the test-retest reliability and methodological agreement of various resting state hdEEG acquisition and analysis options.
• To identify optimal parameters for reliable resting state functional connectivity measurements using hdEEG.

Main Methods:

• Systematic evaluation of test-retest reliability and methodological agreement for regional functional connectivity.
• Comparison of different acquisition durations, channel densities, source localization methods, and connectivity metrics.
• Direct comparison of resting EEG reliability with resting functional MRI (fMRI) in the same individuals.

Main Results:

• Power envelope connectivity demonstrated higher test-retest reliability than imaginary coherence across all frequency bands.
• Source localization methods significantly influenced functional connectivity results, posing a challenge for replication.
• Reliability and agreement typically plateaued at or after 6 minutes of data acquisition, exceeding the common 3-minute duration.
• Resting EEG exhibited reliability comparable to or exceeding that of resting fMRI.

Conclusions:

• The high reliability and agreement of power envelope connectivity enhance confidence in using EEG for resting state connectivity analysis.
• EEG is a reliable tool for measuring individual differences in brain connectivity.
• Methodological standardization is crucial for reproducible resting state hdEEG research.