Neuroplasticity in Neonates, Part 2: Application of Correlation Dimension to Dimensional Analysis of Neonatal Eeg

A nonlinear time series analysis technique, the correlation dimension (CD), for dimensional analysis of the EEG is proposed for the analysis of neuroplasticity in neonates at increasing gestational ages up to full term age. One hundred and sixteen EEG-polygraphic recordings were performed on 55 neonatal subjects between 28 and 43 weeks gestational age from which state assignments were initially scored by visual analysis. A single channel of EEG (i.e. Fp1-C3) was selected for analysis in this study and we use surrogate EEG data to address the application of nonlinear time series analysis methods such as correlation dimension in the analysis of EEG data. In part 2, we focus on the application of CD to the study of neuroplasticity in neonates, with the major objective of determining if CD can be used as surrogate marker for neuroplasticity. Two tailed T-tests are used to test for differences in the correlation dimension in active and quiet sleep states for both preterm and full term neonates as a function of maturation. The objective is to correlate a measure of signal complexity of neonatal EEG during sleep, the correlation dimension, with clinical observations for the PSG/EEG recordings of premature and full term neonates to investigate how the correlation dimension of the neonatal EEG reflects developmental changes. The results of the analysis show that there is a significant difference in