Another type of “refractory” period or “gap” is when phase locked neurons are unavailable for allocation by a different cluster of neurons at a different moment of time. Long distance phase locking of local clusters of neurons can result in a reduction in the amplitude of the surface EEG because phase locking occurs over long distances and thus reduces the size of the number of synchronized local cluster of neurons by spatial differentiation. This is consistent with studies of schizophrenia that show hyperconnectivity in local frontal and parietal regions associated with increased local current density (Canuet et al., 2011). The hypothesis of linking PR during the background spontaneous EEG provides a new definition of the term “desynchronization” used to describe ERD and the waxing and waning of the spontaneous EEG. That is desynchronization is actually “spatially differentiated phase reset” or “micro bonding” of local clusters of neurons connected across long distances to other local clusters for brief periods of time (Thatcher et al., 2009a).
