High-density electroencephalography methods to investigate dynamic functional interactions between distant brain areas

A large part of cerebral processes is implemented through functional interactions between groups of neurons located in distant brain regions. High-density electroencephalography (EEG) is a technique that permits studying brain activity in a non-invasive manner and with millisecond temporal resolution, and is particularly suited to study the electrophysiological processes that underlie long-range functional interactions in the human brain. However, the use of high-density EEG to study these electrophysiological processes is currently limited by the lack of reliable analysis methodologies tailored to this technique. To address this issue, we will develop a pipeline for the processing of high-density EEG recordings, including tools for bad-channel detection, artifact removal and data re-referencing among others. Then, we will set up and optimize a procedure to reconstruct ongoing activity across the whole brain. Finally, we will define a computational approach suited to map brain areas belonging to a network, and study the dynamic interactions between them. Overall, the project will deliver novel methods and tools to study what neuronal oscillations contribute to long-range functional interactions and on which relevant time scale these interactions emerge. Importantly, this information will integrate current knowledge on interactions between distant brain regions, which has been largely derived using hemodynamic fluctuations measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging.