Coherence between one random and one periodic signal for measuring the strength of responses in the electro-encephalogram during sensory stimulation

Coherence between a pulse train representing periodic stimuli and the EEG has been used in the objective detection of steady-state evoked potentials. This work aimed to quantify the strength of the stimulus responses based on the statistics of coherence estimate between one random and one periodic signal focusing on the confidence limits and power of significance tests in detecting responses. To detect the responses in 95% of cases, a signal-to-noise ratio of about -7.9 dB was required when using 48 windows (M) in the coherence estimation. The ratio, however, increased to -1.2 dB when M was 12. The results were tested in Monte Carlo simulations and applied to EEGs obtained from 14 subjects during visual stimulation. The method showed differences in the strength of responses at the stimulus frequency and its harmonics, as well as variations between individuals and over cortical regions. In contrast to those from the parietal and temporal regions, results for the occipital region gave confidence limits (with M = 12) that were above zero for all subjects, indicating statistically significant responses. The proposed technique extends the usefulness of coherence as a measure of stimulus responses and allows statistical analysis that could also be applied usefully in a range of other biological signals.