Access to microstates as part of brain function analysis will soon be available to all users of the HBImed report generator. This will make it possible to analyze these microstates in comparison to age-matched peers and gender-specifically. The interpretation can be learned in the Interpretation Course (https://gtsg.ch/de/interpretation-des-tech-reports/).
The Nature of Microstates – Simply Explained
Microstates are like brief “snapshots” of brain activity that last only about 60-120 milliseconds. You can think of them as letters of an alphabet from which the brain forms “words” and “sentences” of thought. There are typically 4-5 different basic types (A, B, C, D, and sometimes E) that occur repeatedly. Each microstate type has a characteristic pattern of how electrical activity is distributed across the head. They are often called “atoms of thought” because they represent the smallest stable units of brain activity.
The brain constantly jumps between these states, about 4-10 times per second. Microstate A is typically associated with hearing and language, activating auditory areas. Microstate B is connected to vision and visual processing in the back of the head. Microstate C acts like an “attention guardian” that distinguishes important from unimportant information. Microstate D handles planning and control, the executive functions of the frontal brain.
These states are similar in all people, like a universal “language” of the brain. However, in mental illnesses, typical patterns change – for example, in schizophrenia, Microstate C is often overactive. The sequence and frequency of microstates reveal much about current brain function. They are like an EKG for the brain, except they show thought patterns instead of heartbeats. When we close our eyes or solve a task, the microstate patterns change characteristically.
The transitions between states are not random but follow certain probabilities. A healthy brain shows flexible switching between different microstates. In neurological disorders, these switches often become rigid or follow unusual patterns. Microstates can be used to measure treatment success, as they change through therapy. They form a bridge between measurable brain activity and our subjective mental states.