Work

EEG microstates: from methodological foundations to clinical translation

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: Electroencephalography (EEG) microstates represent discrete topographic configurations persisting approximately 50-120 ms before transitioning to new patterns. These transient states provide unique insights into large-scale brain organization in health and disease, capturing reference-independent, zero-lag, synchronized networks at timescales matching cortical communication constraints. This review addresses critical methodological challenges in EEG microstates, including data-driven cluster optimization, template derivation strategies for group comparisons, and interpretive frameworks based on convergent evidence rather than premature functional consensus. Future advances will require transitioning from arbitrary conventions to optimization-based approaches, characterizing higher-order temporal dynamics, establishing multimodal integration, and building validation standards that prioritize convergent evidence. With methodological rigor, microstate analysis can advance our understanding of brain dynamics and their role in cognition, consciousness, and brain disorders.

Source: Trends in Neurosciences

DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2026.04.003

Authors: Christoph M. Michel, Lucie Bréchet

Institution: University of Geneva

Language: English

Topic: Neural dynamics and brain function

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $7,030

Funders: National Science Foundation, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Stiftung Synapsis - Alzheimer Forschung Schweiz AFS