Clinical applications of EEG power spectra aperiodic component analysis: a mini-review

Objective The present mini-review summarizes recent clinical findings related to the analysis of the aperiodic component of EEG (electroencephalographic) power spectra, making them quickly accessible to our target audience of medical specialists and allied health researchers, with the final aim of boosting related research. Methods Based on our own experience about clinicians’ literature-searching habits, we queried the PubMed database with specific terms related to EEG power spectra aperiodic component analysis and selected clinical studies conducted on patients that referenced such terms in the title/abstract, and were published in the last five years.Results A total of 11 journal articles, dealing with 9 different neurologic and psychiatric conditions and published between 1st January 2016 – April 1st 2021, were surveyed. Conclusions Despite the heterogeneity of diseases and aspects investigated in the selected papers, the shared key points relate to the exploration of i) the pathophysiological significance of the aperiodic component of the EEG power spectra, ii) its impact on the traditional approach to oscillatory features, iii) its correlation with the presence/absence of pathology and with diseases stages and/or severity.Significance All studies reported relevant results about aperiodic activity significance, with findings that might possibly challenge the traditional approach to the diagnosis/treatment/follow up of the pathology considered.