title: Resting electroencephalogram alpha-power over posterior sites indexes baseline visual cortex excitability.
abstract: Variations of oscillatory brain activity have been related to distinct functional states depending on the frequency of oscillations. In the alpha-band (about 8-14 Hz), decreased oscillatory activity is thought to reflect a state of enhanced cortical excitability, and increased activity to reflect a state of cortical idling or inhibition in which excitability is reduced, but the alpha/excitability link has not been probed directly. Here, we studied the relationship between resting oscillatory activity and visual cortex excitability across participants using electroencephalography and transcranial magnetic stimulation to the occipital pole. We found individual posterior alpha-band power to correlate with the individual threshold for eliciting illusory, transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced visual percepts. This provides direct support for an alpha/excitability link and for baseline states of the visual brain to vary across individuals.
authors.affiliation: Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Romei
authors.forename: Tonia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rihs
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brodbeck
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thut
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000513:Alpha Rhythm; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*