The analysis of multiple habituation profiles of single trial evoked potentials

A new statistical technique for the analysis of multiple habituation profiles of single trial evoked potentials is presented. The method is based on a model that highlights the essential characteristics of the habituation process, viz. trial-dependent modulation of amplitude and phase of the underlying brain responses to a repeated stimulus, while recognizing the presence of unsystematic background variation inherent to single trial registrations. Without the introduction of any simplifying assumptions about the time course of habituation, a set of single trial evoked potentials is decomposed into one or more underlying evoked potentials, their habituation profiles across trials and the corresponding true evoked potentials. The analysis of the model proceeds by means of spectral analysis and its validity is illustrated with applications to simulated data.