Cordance: a new method for assessment of cerebral perfusion and metabolism using quantitative electroencephalography

Abstract

Increased slow-wave and decreased fast-wave activity on the electroencephalogram is common in brain dysfunction and may be caused by partial cortical deafferentation. No measure that is specific or sensitive for this deafferentation, however, has yet been reported. We studied a series of subjects with white-matter lesions undercutting the cortex and developed a method for analyzing electrical activity called "cordance" that has face validity as a measure of cortical deafferentation. Cordance is measured along a continuum of values: positive values denote "concordance," an indicator associated with normally functioning brain tissue; negative values denote "discordance," an indicator associated with undercutting lesions, low perfusion, and low metabolism. We present a series of subjects studied with magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and single-photon emission computed tomography that demonstrate strong associations between cordance and other measures of brain structure and function.