EEG-vigilance retest reliability

Introduction: During rest the human brain toggles between different stages of vigilance. Decline from alertness to sleep-onset is not a linear process but a transition with complex changes in the pattern of spectral composition and topography of EEG activity. Vigilance regulation is a state-modulated trait, some of its components changing quickly while others remaining stable over time. Objective: The main aim was to study the intraindividual retest reliability of the EEG-vigilance regulation and to see if the EEG-vigilance regulation parameters, which have been defined for resting conditions, are also assessable during an attentional continuous performance test (CPT). Method: Two EEG-recordings of healthy volunteers took place with an interval of one week, each session consisting of 15 minutes of resting and a 15 minute-continuous performance test. Results: Results about stability of vigilance regulation will be presented. Analyzed parameters will include the percentage of stage A segments as well as the frequency of switches between vigilance stages A and B. Additionally results of the vigilance regulation retest reliability of the CPT condition will be shown. Conclusion: Intraindividual stability is a crucial aspect of EEG-vigilance regulation. For future studies it might be of interest to investigate the association between vigilance regulation and different psychiatric disorders like bipolar affective disorder or ADHD.