Frontal theta and posterior alpha in resting EEG: A critical examination of convergent and discriminant validity
Smith, Ezra E.; Tenke, Craig E.; Deldin, Patricia J.; Trivedi, Madhukar H.; Weissman, Myrna M.; Auerbach, Randy P.; Bruder, Gerard E.; Pizzagalli, Diego A.; Kayser, Jürgen
2020-02
Citation
Smith, Ezra E.; Tenke, Craig E.; Deldin, Patricia J.; Trivedi, Madhukar H.; Weissman, Myrna M.; Auerbach, Randy P.; Bruder, Gerard E.; Pizzagalli, Diego A.; Kayser, Jürgen (2020). "Frontal theta and posterior alpha in resting EEG: A critical examination of convergent and discriminant validity." Psychophysiology (2): n/a-n/a.
Abstract
Prior research has identified two resting EEG biomarkers with potential for predicting functional outcomes in depression: theta current density in frontal brain regions (especially rostral anterior cingulate cortex) and alpha power over posterior scalp regions. As little is known about the discriminant and convergent validity of these putative biomarkers, a thorough evaluation of these psychometric properties was conducted toward the goal of improving clinical utility of these markers. Resting 71‐channel EEG recorded from 35 healthy adults at two sessions (1‐week retest) were used to systematically compare different quantification techniques for theta and alpha sources at scalp (surface Laplacian or current source density [CSD]) and brain (distributed inverse; exact low resolution electromagnetic tomography [eLORETA]) level. Signal quality was evaluated with signal‐to‐noise ratio, participant‐level spectra, and frequency PCA covariance decomposition. Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed within a multitrait‐multimethod framework. Posterior alpha was reliably identified as two spectral components, each with unique spatial patterns and condition effects (eyes open/closed), high signal quality, and good convergent and discriminant validity. In contrast, frontal theta was characterized by one low‐variance component, low signal quality, lack of a distinct spectral peak, and mixed validity. Correlations between candidate biomarkers suggest that posterior alpha components constitute reliable, convergent, and discriminant biometrics in healthy adults. Component‐based identification of spectral activity (CSD/eLORETA‐fPCA) was superior to fixed, a priori frequency bands. Improved quantification and conceptualization of frontal theta is necessary to determine clinical utility.Magnitude of frontal theta (rostral ACC eLORETA source amplitude) and posterior alpha (spectral components of scalp current source density) at rest have been considered candidate EEG biomarkers of depression outcomes. Given inconsistent findings, we examined the discriminant and convergent validity of these measures in healthy adults. Unlike theta, two distinct alpha components constituted reliable, convergent, and discriminant biometrics. While results have marked implications for clinical utility, we make several recommendations for improving the psychometric properties of resting frontal theta.Publisher
Cambridge University Press Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ISSN
0048-5772 1469-8986
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