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METHODS article

Front. Comput. Neurosci.
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fncom.2024.1335130

Unified Theory of Alpha, Mu, and Tau Rhythms via Eigenmodes of Brain Activity

Provisionally accepted
Rawan El-Zghir Rawan El-Zghir 1,2*Peter Robinson Peter Robinson 1,3*Natasha Gabay Natasha Gabay 1,3,4
  • 1 School of Physics, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  • 2 Centre for Integrative Brain Function, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  • 3 Centre for Integrative Brain Function, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  • 4 Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    A compact description of the frequency structure and topography of human alpha-band rhythms is obtained by use of the first four brain activity eigenmodes previously derived from corticothalamic neural field theory. Just two eigenmodes that overlap in frequency are found to reproduce the observed topography of the classical alpha rhythm for subjects with a single, occipitally concentrated alpha peak in their electroencephalograms. Alpha frequency splitting and relative amplitudes of double alpha peaks are explored analytically and numerically within this four-mode framework using eigenfunction expansion and perturbation methods. These effects are

    Keywords: EEG, eigenmodes, brain resonances, Alpha Rhythm, mu rhythm

    Received: 16 Nov 2023; Accepted: 07 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 El-Zghir, Robinson and Gabay. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Rawan El-Zghir, School of Physics, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, New South Wales, Australia
    Peter Robinson, School of Physics, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, New South Wales, Australia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.