The use of threshold methods to detect beta bursts may inadequately characterize the beta band

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn neurophysiological research, the traditional view of beta band activity as sustained oscillations is being reinterpreted as transient bursts. Bursts are characterized by a distinct wavelet shape, high amplitude, and, most importantly, brief temporal occurrence. The primary method for their detection relies on a threshold-based analysis of spectral power, and this presents two fundamental issues. First, the threshold selection is effectively arbitrary, being influenced by both local and global factors in the signal. Second, the method necessarily detects temporal events, as such it is susceptible to misidentifying sustained signals as transient bursts. To address these issues, this study systematically explores burst detection through simulations, shedding light on the method’s robustness across various scenarios. Although the method is effective in detecting transients in numerous cases, it can be overly sensitive, leading to spurious detections. Moreover, when applied to simulations featuring exclusively sustained events, the method frequently yields events exhibiting characteristics consistent with a transient burst profile. This capacity to produce misleading outcomes challenges the reinterpretation of sustained beta oscillations as transient bursts and prompts a critical reassessment of the existing literature.