Source estimation of auditory brainstem evoked potentials: comparison of 3CLT and dipole localization

The generators of auditory brainstem evoked potentials (ABEPs) are generally agreed to be located between the auditory nerve and upper pons. Thus, they are all located within a few cm from the center of the head. Three-channel Lissajous' trajectory (3CLT) provides the amplitude and orientation of a centrally located equivalent dipole of surface recorded activity. Volume conductor theory predicts decreased spatial resolution of source estimation the deeper the source. In this study we compared source estimates obtained with 3CLT, using three orthogonal differential channels, with those obtained with two other source estimation methods: i) setting the generators at their known anatomical coordinates and calculating orientation and magnitude of the source (dipole localization method--DLM); ii) estimation of all source parameters, including the number of sources by wavelet-type decomposition, without assumptions on the location of the sources (multiple source estimate--MSE). 3CLT, DLM and MSE all converged on magnitudes and orientations that were not significantly different from each other, and locations that were within a few cm of each other. In conclusion, although 3CLT can only estimate a single, centrally located equivalent dipole, in the specific case of ABEPs, it provides the same information available from the more demanding source estimate methods. In addition to the considerable saving in recording channels, 3CLT is reference-independent and thus avoids ambiguities resulting from the choice of reference.