Question 1

How are EEG signals generated in the brain?

Accepted Answer

EEG signals originate from the cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, primarily through activated pyramidal neurons. These neurons receive synaptic inputs and generate electrical activity as ions move across their membranes, creating dipoles. Electrodes on the scalp capture the combined electrical potentials from many synchronized neural dipoles, producing the measurable EEG signal.

Question 2

What do different EEG frequency bands tell us about brain states?

Accepted Answer

EEG frequency bands correlate with specific behavioral states. Delta and Theta waves appear during sleep, Alpha waves occur when awake and relaxed, and Beta and Gamma waves emerge during active cognition. Using mathematical transformations like the Fourier transform, researchers decompose EEG signals into these frequency components to understand what cognitive processes the brain is performing.

Question 3

What is an event-related potential and how is it measured?

Accepted Answer

An event-related potential (ERP) is the mean EEG activity evoked by a specific stimulus during cognitive tasks. Researchers time-lock EEG responses to stimulus onset and average multiple trials to raise signal levels above background noise. Peaks in the ERP graph represent coordinated neural activity, with earlier peaks reflecting direct sensory responses and later peaks indicating cognitive processing of the stimulus.

Question 4

Why is the 10-20 placement system important for EEG experiments?

Accepted Answer

The 10-20 placement system standardizes electrode positioning on the scalp according to identified cortical areas and hemisphere locations, separated systematically within 10% or 20% of skull distance. This consistency ensures reproducible results across different subjects and time points, allowing researchers to compare EEG data reliably and identify meaningful differences in brain activity patterns.

Question 5

How does EEG improve when combined with other neuroimaging techniques?

Accepted Answer

EEG's high temporal sensitivity to activation timing complements functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which offers superior spatial localization. Together, these techniques enable functional mapping at higher resolution to understand cognitive processes like sleep, consciousness, emotion, learning, and memory with both precise timing and location information.

Question 6

What preparations are necessary before conducting an EEG experiment?

Accepted Answer

Before EEG recording, researchers explain procedures and obtain written consent. The subject's head circumference is measured to select the correct electrode cap size. Landmarks are marked according to the 10-20 system, conductive gel is applied to each electrode, and the subject is positioned and reminded to minimize unnecessary movements to reduce motion artifacts.

Question 7

How can EEG be used to study social cognition in infants?

Accepted Answer

Researchers use EEG to measure brain activity during face-to-face puppet demonstrations with infants to test immediate recall and imitation. Data collected from the entire scalp reveal differences in EEG activity at various experimental time-points, providing insights into how infants process social information and develop social cognitive abilities.

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