[Eeglablist] Is this what we see in the EEG?

[Makoto Miyakoshi]

Hi Yevgeny and Jack,

> True brain activity manifests itself in the higher frequency range and
over a very broad frequency band (which corresponds to the conclusions of
information theory regarding bandwidth and information transmission
intensity).

Mathematics captured the universe, but did information theory so too? There
seems to be different types (definitions) of information than that in
Shannon's sense. People talk about brain's interregional 'connectivity' by
showing phase coherence etc., but has anyone proven what is communicated
between the regions? What is the principle of brain's calculation?

I even think these questions are perhaps wrong in Wittgenstein's sense.

Another random skepticism: Electric fields in the extracellular space is
mostly epiphenomenal in the sense that they do not carry any functions (an
exception is ephaptic coupling, which occurs in much smaller
spatial scale). Am I correct? I always think that measuring EEG to estimate
brain's state is like using a stethoscope to diagnose a car engine. A car
engine makes noise, but its purpose is to drive a car. If this is the case,
then how can we be so sure that critical information must be, and always,
contained in the signal? In fact, we already know that scalp
EEG's sensitivity to various brain functions and states are patchy.

> The work on "1/f" that began in this community, after a fairly active
start, has suddenly slowed down. Perhaps it should be intensified? But what
if there are better ideas?

Yes, I slowed down because I read papers and found answers to my questions.
Now I want to share the summary with others, but it requires some effort.
After July, I'll be more free to do something on this topic.

> Does analysis of Event-related desynchronization/synchronization cover
at least some of what you are talking about?

I recently learned that the idea behind ERD and ERS is that there is always
non-zero neural synchrony, which is an idea related to the concept of
'synaptic action field' proposed by Paul Nunez. According to him, the
medium of brain's wave phenomenon is this synaptic action field. Thus,
certain types of brain waves (i.e., evoked ones) consist of ERDs and ERSs.

Makoto

On Mon, May 11, 2026 at 11:40 AM Jack Shelley-Tremblay via eeglablist <
eeglablist at sccn.ucsd.edu> wrote:

> This makes sense to me, based on my experience.
>
> Does analysis of Event-related desynchronization/synchronization cover at
> least some of what you are talking about?
>
> It seems to me as if capturing the disappearance of regular rhythms and
> their modification be stimulus-driven activity is what ERD/ERSP does
> pretty well?
>
> Jack Shelley-Tremblay, Ph.D.
>
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>
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>
> On Sat, May 9, 2026 at 10:44 AM Евгений Машеров via eeglablist <
> eeglablist at sccn.ucsd.edu> wrote:
>
> > A provocative statement (intended for criticism, though throwing rotten
> > apples and rotten eggs is not advisable)
> >
> > When we look at an EEG, we overlook the more essential, seeing only the
> > secondary. Beautiful graphic elements, easily recognizable by the eye,
> > elegant sinusoids, so effectively analyzed by Fourier, are a
> manifestation
> > not of brain activity, but of its inactivity. These are resting rhythms,
> > idle rhythms, whether they manifest during a temporary shutdown of
> sensory
> > input, like the occipital alpha rhythm, or the mu rhythm that disappears
> as
> > soon as a hand is moved, or the delta rhythm when activity ceases during
> > sleep, or the pathological delta rhythm in the perifocal zone of a tumor,
> > where there is still nerve tissue, but it is no longer functional (and
> then
> > there is alpha coma...). True brain activity manifests itself in the
> higher
> > frequency range and over a very broad frequency band (which corresponds
> to
> > the conclusions of information theory regarding bandwidth and information
> > transmission intensity). However, its amplitude is small and its
> regularity
> > is insufficient, so we limit our
> >  selves to noting the presence of beta or gamma activity, admiring the
> > beautiful oscillations easily identifiable by the eye.
> > I believe this is a challenge that requires the development of new
> methods
> > of EEG analysis, not discarding existing ones, but exploring new ones
> > (nonlinear? multidimensional? based on systems of orthogonal functions
> > other than sinusoids?). The work on "1/f" that began in this community,
> > after a fairly active start, has suddenly slowed down. Perhaps it should
> be
> > intensified? But what if there are better ideas?
> >
> > Your truly
> >
> > Eugen Masherov
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