Issues relating to the subtraction phase in EOG artefact correction of the EEG

An important method for removing the effect of ocular artefact from the EEG is 'EOG correction'. This method estimates the proportion of ocular artefact that is in the EEG, and removes it by subtraction. To date, EOG correction research has focused on problems relating to the estimation of the correction coefficients. Using both mathematical rationale and empirical data, this paper addresses issues relating to the subtraction phase, such as the magnitude of error that can be expected due to EOG correction. Using ERP methodology, principal component and regression analyses, it is shown that the N1P2 complex propagates forward to the horizontal and radial (but not vertical) electrooculograms (EOG), and it is shown mathematically that this will result in EOG-correction error. Assuming an accurate estimate of ocular contamination of the EEG, maximal subtraction-phase error of the N1P2 complex was found to be a prefrontal attenuation of 15-22%, decreasing to central and occipital enhancements of 3-4% and 13-14%, respectively. The magnitude of this subtraction-phase error is compared to between-subject ERP variability and to error associated with EOG rejection (omitting data contaminated by ocular artefact). It is argued that such EOG correction error is small relative to both artefact rejection procedures and to normal variability found in ERP studies, and that it is less pernicious than artefact rejection procedures. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.