Toward precision EEG: assessing the reliability of individual-level ERPs across EEG systems

Event-related potentials (ERPs) are among the most established tools for studying the neural mechanisms of perception and cognition. Advancing toward precision EEG, however, places new demands for a better understanding of how reliable neural markers are at the individual subject level.

We conducted two complementary experiments using an auditory oddball paradigm with three sounds (Standard, Target, and Novel) to examine the reliability of N100 and P300 components. In Experiment 1, we assessed consistency at both the group and individual levels across four EEG systems: one research-grade wired system (BioSemi) and three mobile devices (Smarting, DSI-24, and EPOC X). In Experiment 2, we used a test-retest design to evaluate within-participant reliability over time.

Results from Experiment 1 show that at the group level, all EEG systems demonstrated the canonical N100 and P300 components; however, the EPOC X system showed a significantly reduced signal-to-noise ratio compared to the others. At the individual level, temporal and spatial clustering analyses showed that N100 and P300 components were detectable in most individuals (70-85%), with additional significant responses appearing outside this range. We further calculated the similarity of individual responses across participants ("typicality index"), which revealed highly consistent responses to Standard and Novel sounds, alongside divergent patterns of responses to Targets. In Experiment 2, results indicated high within-participant consistency of response patterns for all three stimuli, demonstrating that individual ERPs remain reliably stable over time, even when they deviate from canonical group-level patterns.

The current study contributes to the ongoing discussion regarding the utility and reliability of ERP-based metrics for precision imaging and highlights important methodological considerations for their practical implementation.