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The Journal of Neuroscience, August 13, 2008, 28(33):8268-8272; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1910-08.2008

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Brief Communications
Very Slow EEG Fluctuations Predict the Dynamics of Stimulus Detection and Oscillation Amplitudes in Humans

Simo Monto,^1,3 Satu Palva,¹ Juha Voipio,² and J. Matias Palva¹

¹Neuroscience Center and ²Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland, and ³BioMag Laboratory–HUSLAB, Helsinki University Central Hospital, 00029 Helsinki, Finland

Correspondence should be addressed to either J. Matias Palva or Simo Monto, Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Email: matias.palva{at}helsinki.fi or Email: smonto{at}cc.hut.fi

Our ability to perceive weak signals is correlated among consecutive trials and fluctuates slowly over time. Although this "streaking effect" has been known for decades, the underlying neural network phenomena have remained largely unidentified. We examined the dynamics of human behavioral performance and its correlation with infraslow (0.01–0.1 Hz) fluctuations in ongoing brain activity. Full-band electroencephalography revealed prominent infraslow fluctuations during the execution of a somatosensory detection task. Similar fluctuations were predominant also in the dynamics of behavioral performance. The subjects' ability to detect the sensory stimuli was strongly correlated with the phase, but not with the amplitude of the infraslow EEG fluctuations. These data thus reveal a direct electrophysiological correlate for the slow fluctuations in human psychophysical performance. We then examined the correlation between the phase of infraslow EEG fluctuations and the amplitude of 1–40 Hz neuronal oscillations in six frequency bands. Like the behavioral performance, the amplitudes in these frequency bands were robustly correlated with the phase of the infraslow fluctuations. These data hence suggest that the infraslow fluctuations reflect the excitability dynamics of cortical networks. We conclude that ongoing 0.01–0.1 Hz EEG fluctuations are prominent and functionally significant during execution of cognitive tasks.

Key words: slow oscillation; EEG; alpha; attention; gamma; somatosensory; synchrony

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Received April 30, 2008; revised June 18, 2008; accepted July 11, 2008.

Correspondence should be addressed to either J. Matias Palva or Simo Monto, Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Email: matias.palva{at}helsinki.fi or Email: smonto{at}cc.hut.fi

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