title: Method for detection of changes in the EEG induced by the presence of sensory stimuli.
abstract: The onset and offset of sensory stimuli evoke transient changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) that can be detected by linear and/or nonlinear analysis. However, there is presently no systematic procedure to quantify the brain-electrical-activity correlate of the presence of a stimulus (as opposed to its onset evoked potential). We describe a method for detecting a stimulus-related change in brain electrical activity that persists while the stimulus is present (presence effect). The method, which is based on phase-space embedding of the EEG time series followed by quantitative analysis of the recurrence plot of the embedded signal, was used to demonstrate the occurrence of a presence effect in separate groups of human subjects exposed to sound, a magnetic field, and light. Any form of law-governed dynamical activity induced in the EEG can be detected, particularly activity that is nonlinearly related to the stimulus. Salient mathematical features of the method were reproduced in a model EEG system containing known nonlinear determinism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, LSU Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA 71130-3932, United States.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carrubba
authors.forename: Clifton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Frilot
authors.forename: Andrew L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Chesson
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Marino
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008959:Models, Neurological; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D011601:Psychophysics; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted