Comparison of MEG/EEG inter-regional connectivity metrics

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K13163
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: National Institute for Physiological Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Kida Tetsuo 生理学研究所, システム脳科学研究領域, 特任准教授 (80419861)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 脳領域間結合 / 脳磁図 / 注意

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is an invaluable neuroscientific tool for unveiling human neural dynamics in three dimensions including time, frequency and space. Recently, brain connectivity has got much attention in MEG community, and a large number of connectivity estimation methods are available to researchers. These methods assess spectral coherence, phase delay consistency and the amplitude coupling. Some of these methods examine directionality or causal relation. However, there are several issues regarding spatial leakage such as field spread and source leakage, which can overestimate connectivity values. In the present study we compared several connectivity metrics computed from MEG data to provide guidance to the researchers who are interested in the MEG connectivity. The result indicates that a power correlation metric, which is insensitive to spatial leakage, shows the best reproducibility. The present study provides important criteria for inter-regional connectivity metrics.

Free Research Field

認知神経科学、生理心理学