Brain rhythms

Abstract

Accurately determining the temperature of whiskey in a shot glass is not a trivial task. Lowering the tip of the thermometer into the fluid will introduce both thermal and kinetic energy, thus biasing the measurement. Additionally, the alcohol is volatile and hence the volume not constant. Similarly, experimentally assessing spontaneous resting brain activity is a virtually impossible task. The general scientific approach of externally manipulating (independent variable) the system under observation in order to obtain informative measurements (dependent variable) about the object of interest may suspend the resting state; in other words, it may cause the object of interest to change and evade. In any case, the alive brain obviously never truly remains at rest, as this would prohibit (re)active functioning. In this chapter, the term resting state will refer to a state of endogenous brain activity that is spontaneously ongoing, not intentionally induced externally nor voluntarily generated by the subject. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.