BSD: A Bayesian Framework for Parametric Models of Neural Spectra

The analysis of neural power spectra plays a crucial role in understanding brain function and dysfunction. While recent efforts have led to the development of methods for decomposing spectral data, challenges remain in performing statistical analysis and group-level comparisons. Here, we introduce Bayesian spectral decomposition (BSD), a Bayesian framework for analysing neural spectral power. BSD allows for the specification, inversion, comparison and analysis of parametric models of neural spectra, addressing limitations of existing methods. We first establish the face validity of BSD on simulated data and show how it outperforms an established method [fit oscillations and one-over-f (FOOOF)] for peak detection on artificial spectral data. We then demonstrate the efficacy of BSD on a group-level study of electroencephalography (EEG) spectra in 204 healthy subjects from the LEMON dataset. Our results not only highlight the effectiveness of BSD in model selection and parameter estimation but also illustrate how BSD enables straightforward group-level regression of the effect of continuous covariates such as age. By using Bayesian inference techniques, BSD provides a robust framework for studying neural spectral data and their relationship to brain function and dysfunction.