An EEG Source Reconstruction Method Accounting for Ascending Sympathovagal Activity: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

Area of Science:

• Computational Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Physiology

Background:

• Understanding the causal link between brain activity and peripheral physiology is crucial.
• Current electroencephalography (EEG) models for brain-heart interplay lack detailed intracortical source information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel framework for investigating how peripheral neural control of heartbeat dynamics impacts brain activity at the source reconstruction level.
• To explore the neural sources underlying brain-heart interactions.

Main Methods:

• Integration of high-density (128-channel) EEG and electrocardiography (ECG) recordings.
• Validation using resting-state experimental data from 30 healthy subjects.
• Comparison of traditional EEG source reconstruction with a novel approach incorporating sympathovagal components.

Main Results:

• Accounting for heartbeat dynamics significantly alters brain source activation patterns.
• The findings align with established knowledge of central-autonomic networks and brain-heart interactions.
• The novel method provides improved spatial localization of the heart's influence on brain dynamics.

Conclusions:

• The proposed methodological framework enhances the investigation of brain-heart interplay at the source level.
• This approach offers new insights into the neural sources governing brain-heart interactions.
• Identifying the spatial localization of cardiac influence on the brain is vital for understanding and treating related disorders.