Ultra-low Noise EEG at LSBB: New results

¹ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
² Spinal Cord Injury Center, University Hospital Balgrist, University of Zurich, Zurich
³ International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries (ICORD), Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, 818 West Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada

^a Corresponding author: guyd@ece.ubc.ca

Abstract

In this study, we investigate functional correlates of gamma band oscillations in low-noise EEG signals acquired in the LSBB shielded capsule and compare them to signals acquired in a typical hospital environment. Using a research-grade EEG acquisition system, we acquired 64-channel EEG recordings from three volunteers performing several cognitive, sensory, and motor tasks in both LSBB and hospital settings. Time-frequency analysis on the signals acquired in both environments reveals that the task-induced increase in gamma band (>30 Hz) energy relative to the resting state EEG is more prominent in signals acquired at LSBB, suggesting that task-specific changes in EEG are better reflected and more readily detected in signals acquired at LSBB. These results further demonstrate the potential value of low-noise settings such as the LSBB for conducting challenging high-frequency EEG studies.