Relation of olfactory EEG to behavior: time series analysis

Abstract

Oscillatory electroencephalographic bursts were measured from 64 electrodes implanted on the olfactory bulbs of rabbits. Oscillatory bursts that occurred before and during presentation of odorant conditioned stimuli (CSs) were selected in brief segments. Comparisons between the 64 traces and their spectra showed that, despite amplitude differences between channels, every burst had a common waveform over the entire array. The spectra showed 2 to 5 distinct peaks in each burst. Each trace was fitted with the sum of 5 cosines to express the burst in ten 8 X 8 matrices of amplitude and phase values at its peak frequencies. Two types of burst were identified. Those with dominant frequencies greater than 55 Hz had one narrow dominant spectral peak and reproducible spatial patterns of its amplitude within subgroups of bursts relating to control and odorant CS conditions. Those with dominant frequencies less than 55 Hz were disorderly; their spectra were broad, and their spatial patterns of amplitude did not reproduce within subgroups. A behavioral assay showed that the high- and not the low-frequency bursts contained odor-specific information.