The potential of event-related beta oscillations as biomarkers for neuromodulatory treatment efficacy

Abstract

Electroencephalography (EEG) recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary, having revolutionized the study of cognitive function across species. Over the past century, neuroelectric measures such as resting-state EEG, event-related potentials (ERP), and event-related oscillations (ERO) have become indispensable not only for advancing our understanding of brain function but also for identifying valuable biomarkers for diagnosing neurological and psychiatric disorders and evaluating the efficacy of novel therapies. Compared to resting state activity and ERPs, EROs—oscillatory dynamics time-locked to and modulated by task events—remain relatively underutilized in evaluating treatment outcomes, despite growing evidence of their potential. Our recent findings from a rat model of alcohol addiction indicate that event-related beta oscillations are sensitive markers of cognitive function and recovery following therapeutic interventions. Both pharmacological treatment with psilocybin and targeted electrical stimulation induced a shift in dominant beta activity from higher to lower sub-bands during an auditory oddball task, underscoring the importance of sub-band–specific analyses beyond aggregate beta power as potential indicators of treatment efficacy acknowledging functional distinctions within the beta range. Despite these promising observations, systematic investigations of beta sub-band activity for diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders remain scarce. Here, I propose that event-related beta oscillations are an underexplored yet highly promising biomarker for evaluating the efficacy of neuromodulatory interventions, including brain stimulation and neurofeedback, in both preclinical and clinical settings.