Neural basis for cortical-network responses to TV spots: a high resolution EEG study

We investigated the behavior of the brain during the visualization of commercial videos by tracking the cortical activity and the functional connectivity changes in normal subjects. High resolution EEG recordings were performed in a group of healthy subjects and the cortical activity during the visualization of standard TV spots was estimated by using the solution of the linear inverse problem with the use of realistic head models. The cortical activity was evaluated in several regions of interest (ROIs) coincident with the Brodmann areas. The patterns of cortical connectivity was obtained in the principal four frequency bands, namely Theta (3-6 Hz), Alpha (7-12 Hz), Beta (13-29 Hz) and Gamma band (3040 Hz) by using the Partial Directed Coherence (PDC). By using tools derived from graph theory, specific indexes related to the weighted-topology of the cortical networks estimated were then obtained. Results suggest during the visualization of the TV spots that will be successively remembered the level of internal organization in the networks estimated is more efficient when compared with the network structure relative to those clips that will be forgotten.