arXiv subjects

Laura Marzetti

Publications and source records attributed to Laura Marzetti.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A Generalized Framework of Antisymmetric Polyspectral Indices for Identifying High-Order Neural Interactions

Cross-frequency interactions are fundamental brain mechanisms for integrating information across temporal scales. However, accurate identification of these couplings is hindered by complex multi-frequency nonlinearities and by spurious, zero-lag artifacts caused by volume conduction. To our knowledge, conventional metrics lack a robust framework to characterize genuine interactions among multiple time series where a frequency of interest $f_N$ arises from the combination of $N-1$ components such that $f_N = \sum_{i=1}^{N-1} f_i$. We introduce a general family of antisymmetric cross-polyspectral indices designed to quantify these harmonic dependencies while being intrinsically robust to instantaneous mixing. We derive the theoretical properties of these quantities and validate them through simulations of cubic nonlinearities. As a proof of concept, we apply the indices to empirical EEG recordings; the results reveal significant higher-order dependencies that elude standard analytical approaches. We further discuss how these indices can inform novel, personalized multi-site transcranial magnetic stimulation (mTMS) protocols by enabling the selective monitoring and modulation of specific multi-frequency network interactions.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2026

A first realization of reinforcement learning-based closed-loop EEG-TMS

Background: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a powerful tool to investigate neurophysiology of the human brain and treat brain disorders. Traditionally, therapeutic TMS has been applied in a one-size-fits-all approach, disregarding inter- and intra-individual differences. Brain state-dependent EEG-TMS, such as coupling TMS with a pre-specified phase of the sensorimotor mu-rhythm, enables the induction of differential neuroplastic effects depending on the targeted phase. But this approach is still user-dependent as it requires defining an a-priori target phase. Objectives: To present a first realization of a machine-learning-based, closed-loop real-time EEG-TMS setup to identify user-independently the individual mu-rhythm phase associated with high- vs. low-corticospinal excitability states. Methods: We applied EEG-TMS to 25 participants targeting the supplementary motor area-primary motor cortex network and used a reinforcement learning algorithm to identify the mu-rhythm phase associated with high- vs. low corticospinal excitability. We employed linear mixed effects models and Bayesian analysis to determine effects of reinforced learning on corticospinal excitability indexed by motor evoked potential amplitude, and functional connectivity indexed by the imaginary part of resting-state EEG coherence. Results: Reinforcement learning effectively identified the mu-rhythm phase associated with high- vs. low-excitability states, and their repetitive stimulation resulted in long-term increases vs. decreases in functional connectivity in the stimulated sensorimotor network. Conclusions: We demonstrated for the first time the feasibility of closed-loop EEG-TMS in humans, a critical step towards individualized treatment of brain disorders.

cs.LG↗

arXiv2019

Impact of the reference choice on scalp EEG connectivity estimation

Several scalp EEG functional connectivity studies, mostly clinical, seem to overlook the reference electrode impact. The subsequent interpretation of brain connectivity is thus often biased by the choice a non-neutral reference. This study aims at systematically investigating these effects. As EEG reference, we examined: the vertex electrode (Cz), the digitally linked mastoids (DLM), the average reference (AVE), and the Reference Electrode Standardization Technique (REST). As a connectivity metric, we used the imaginary part of coherency. We tested simulated and real data (eyes open resting state), by evaluating the influence of electrode density, effect of head model accuracy in the REST transformation, and impact on the characterization of the topology of functional networks from graph analysis. Simulations demonstrated that REST significantly reduced the distortion of connectivity patterns when compared to AVE, Cz and DLM references. Moreover, the availability of high-density EEG systems and an accurate knowledge of the head model are crucial elements to improve REST performance. For real data, a systematic change of the spatial pattern of functional connectivity depending on the chosen reference was also observed. The distortion of connectivity patterns was larger for the Cz reference, and progressively decreases when using the DLM, the AVE, the REST. Strikingly, we also showed that network attributes derived from graph analysis, i.e., node degree and local efficiency, are significantly influenced by the EEG reference choice. Overall, this study highlights that significant differences arise in scalp EEG functional connectivity and graph network properties, in dependence of the chosen reference. We hope our study will convey the message that caution should be taken when interpreting and comparing results obtained from different laboratories when using different reference schemes.

q-bio.QM↗

arXiv2019

Bispectral pairwise interacting source analysis for identifying systems of cross-frequency interacting brain sources from electroencephalographic or magnetoencephalographic signals

Brain cognitive functions arise through the coordinated activity of several brain regions, which actually form complex dynamical systems operating at multiple frequencies. These systems often consist of interacting subsystems, whose characterization is of importance for a complete understanding of the brain interaction processes. To address this issue, we present a technique, namely the bispectral Pairwise Interacting Source Analysis (biPISA), for analyzing systems of cross-frequency interacting brain sources when multichannel electroencephalographic (EEG) or magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data are available. Specifically, the biPISA allows to identify one or many subsystems of cross-frequency interacting sources by decomposing the antisymmetric components of the cross-bispectra between EEG or MEG signals, based on the assumption that interactions are pairwise. Thanks to the properties of the antisymmetric components of the cross-bispectra, biPISA is also robust to spurious interactions arising from mixing artifacts, i.e. volume conduction or field spread, which always affect EEG or MEG functional connectivity estimates. This method is an extension of the Pairwise Interacting Source Analysis (PISA), which was originally introduced for investigating interactions at the same frequency, to the study of cross-frequency interactions. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated in simulations for up to three interacting source pairs, and for real MEG recordings of spontaneous brain activity. Simulations show that the performances of biPISA in estimating the phase difference between the interacting sources are affected by the increasing level of noise rather than by the number of the interacting subsystems. The analysis of real MEG data reveals an interaction between two pairs of sources of central mu and beta rhythms, localizing in the proximity of the left and right central sulci.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2017

A comparative study of the robustness of frequency--domain connectivity measures to finite data length

In this work we use numerical simulation to investigate how the temporal length of the data affects the reliability of the estimates of brain connectivity from EEG time--series. We assume that the neural sources follow a stable MultiVariate AutoRegressive model, and consider three connectivity metrics: Imaginary part of Coherency (IC), generalized Partial Directed Coherence (gPDC) and frequency--domain Granger Causality (fGC). In order to assess the statistical significance of the estimated values, we use the surrogate data test by generating phase--randomized and autoregressive surrogate data. We first consider the ideal case where we know the source time courses exactly. Here we show how, expectedly, even exact knowledge of the source time courses is not sufficient to provide reliable estimates of the connectivity when the number of samples gets small; however, while gPDC and fGC tend to provide a larger number of false positives, the IC becomes less sensitive to the presence of connectivity. Then we proceed with more realistic simulations, where the source time courses are estimated using eLORETA, and the EEG signal is affected by biological noise of increasing intensity. Using the ideal case as a reference, we show that the impact of biological noise on IC estimates is qualitatively different from the impact on gPDC and fGC.

q-bio.QM↗