Long-range temporal correlations in electroencephalographic oscillations: Relation to topography, frequency band, age and gender

Presence of long-range temporal correlations in neuronal oscillations is thought to be beneficial for a reliable transfer of information in neuronal networks. In the present study long-range temporal correlations in electroencephalographic (EEG) neuronal oscillations were characterized with respect to their topography, frequency-band specificity (alpha and beta oscillations), gender and age. EEG was recorded in 91 normal subjects (age 20-65 years) in a resting condition. The amplitude of ongoing alpha and beta oscillations was extracted with band-pass filtering and Hilbert transform, and long-range temporal correlations were analyzed with detrended fluctuation analysis. The topography of long-range temporal correlations was comparable for alpha and beta oscillations, showing largest scaling exponents in the occipital and parietal areas. This topography was partially similar to that of the power distribution and a weak positive correlation was observed between long-range temporal correlations and power of neuronal oscillations. Long-range temporal correlations were stronger in alpha than beta oscillations, but only in a few electrode locations in the left hemisphere. In both frequency bands long-range temporal correlations were stronger in males than in females and were largely unaffected by the age of the subjects. It is hypothesized that the idling state of the occipital areas in the closed-eyes condition may explain both large power values and pronounced long-range temporal correlations in this region.