Association of EEG Scalp Potential with Autonomic Nervous System

Cerebral stimulation and autonomic nervous system have meaningful role in studies such as mental stress. This study aims to analyze changes in EEG scalp potentials which may affect autonomic stimulation of heart during rest and playing game. Ten healthy participants participated in this study and they were asked to play a video game. Electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals were measured simultaneously during and rest. Sympathetic and parasympathetic innervations of heart were estimated from heart rate variability (HRV), derived from the ECG. Scalp potential, observed in frontal and parietal region, showed a significant surge in the value theta Fz/alpha Pz (Fz(θ)/Pz(α)) (p<0.001) while playing game. The results also showed tachycardia while playing video game as compared to rest condition (p<0.005). Normalized low frequency power and ratio of low frequency to high frequency power were significantly increased while playing video game and normalized high frequency power sank during video games. Results showed that activation in scalp potential is synchronized with the sympathetic innervation of heart. Finally, the results showed that higher heart rate is related to lower scalp activation at Fz(θ)/Pz(α) in a similar condition.