Test–retest reliability of cognitive EEG

Objective: Task-related EEG is sensitive to changes in cognitive state produced by increased task difficulty and by transient impairment. If task-related EEG has high test–retest reliability, it could be used as part of a clinical test to assess changes in cognitive function. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of the EEG recorded during the performance of a working memory (WM) task and a psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). Methods: EEG was recorded while subjects rested quietly and while they performed the tasks. Within session (test–retest interval of 1 h) and between session (test–retest interval of 7 days) reliability was calculated for four EEG components: frontal midline theta at Fz, posterior theta at Pz, and slow and fast alpha at Pz. Results: Task-related EEG was highly reliable within and between sessions (r>0.9 for all components in WM task, and r>0.8 for all components in the PVT). Resting EEG also showed high reliability, although the magnitude of the correlation was somewhat smaller than that of the task-related EEG (r>0.7 for all 4 components). Conclusions: These results suggest that under appropriate conditions, task-related EEG has sufficient retest reliability for use in assessing clinical changes in cognitive status.