Stability of EEG laterality effects.

Task related interhemispheric asymmetries of ongoing EEG activity (alpha band) were tested for stability across three separate occasions. Seven cognitive tasks, presumed to differentially engage either the left or right cerebral hemisphere, were presented to 6 subjects. Involvement with the tasks was determined by evaluation of performance and with a subjective report on degree of involvement. Bilateral EEG was recorded over the parietal areas referenced to an ipsilateral ear, vertex and a central placement, on separate channels. Spectral intensity estimates of 8–13 Hz activity were used to form left/right ratios for determination of asymmetry. Intra-subject stability of alpha band activity was found to improve with the establishment of task validity and to be related to the electrode placement used.