Correlation of PET and qEEG in normal subjects

Alper, Kenneth R.; John, E. Roy; Brodie, Jonathan; Günther, Wilfred; Daruwala, Raoul; Prichep, Leslie S.

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2005.06.008

« Previous Next »Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Volume 146, Issue 3 , Pages 271-282, 30 April 2006

Correlation of PET and qEEG in normal subjects

Kenneth R. Alper
- Brain Research Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, New York, University Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, New York, University Medical Center, NY, USA
- Corresponding author. Brain Research Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA. Tel.: +1 212 263 6287; fax: +1 212 263 6457.
E. Roy John
- Brain Research Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, New York, University Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
Jonathan Brodie
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
Wilfred Günther
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Raoul Daruwala
- Brain Research Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, New York, University Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
Leslie S. Prichep
- Brain Research Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, New York, University Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA

Received 5 May 2005; received in revised form 15 June 2005; accepted 15 June 2005.

Abstract

Positron emission tomography (PET) and quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) were obtained in 15 normal male subjects with eyes closed at rest. Correlations between qEEG variables and regional metabolism were examined as an approach to investigating the metabolic and neuroanatomical basis of the generation of the EEG. Analogous to the neurometric approach to qEEG, a normative 2-fluoro-deoxyglucose voxel data base was developed for the PET image. The PET image was transformed to an idealized cylindrical set of coordinates to allow registration with the Talairach stereotactic atlas. PET regions of interest for the thalamus, the left and right temporal lobes, the medial frontal cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were defined using Talairach coordinates and correlated to the QEEG. Salient findings included a negative correlation of thalamic metabolism to alpha power and a positive correlation of medial frontal cortical metabolism to delta EEG power. The significance of these findings is discussed with reference to the existing literature on the physiology of the generation of the EEG.

Keywords: Human, Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Electroencephalogram (EEG), Alpha EEG power, Delta EEG power, EEG generator, Thalamus