mne.set_eeg_reference

mne.set_eeg_reference(inst, ref_channels=None, copy=True, verbose=None)[source]

Specify which reference to use for EEG data.

By default, MNE-Python will automatically re-reference the EEG signal to use an average reference (see below). Use this function to explicitly specify the desired reference for EEG. This can be either an existing electrode or a new virtual channel. This function will re-reference the data according to the desired reference and prevent MNE-Python from automatically adding an average reference.

Some common referencing schemes and the corresponding value for the ref_channels parameter:

No re-referencing:
If the EEG data is already using the proper reference, set ref_channels=[]. This will prevent MNE-Python from automatically re-referencing the data to an average reference.
Average reference:
A new virtual reference electrode is created by averaging the current EEG signal. Make sure that all bad EEG channels are properly marked and set ref_channels=None.
A single electrode:
Set ref_channels to the name of the channel that will act as the new reference.
The mean of multiple electrodes:
A new virtual reference electrode is created by computing the average of the current EEG signal recorded from two or more selected channels. Set ref_channels to a list of channel names, indicating which channels to use. For example, to apply an average mastoid reference, when using the 10-20 naming scheme, set ref_channels=['M1', 'M2'].
Parameters:

inst : instance of Raw | Epochs | Evoked

Instance of Raw or Epochs with EEG channels and reference channel(s).

ref_channels : list of str | None

The names of the channels to use to construct the reference. To apply an average reference, specify None here (default). It will be added as an SSP projector, so it is not immediately applied to the data. If an empty list is specified, the data is assumed to already have a proper reference and MNE will not attempt any re-referencing of the data. Defaults to an average reference (None).

copy : bool

Specifies whether the data will be copied (True) or modified in place (False). Defaults to True.

verbose : bool, str, int, or None

If not None, override default verbose level (see mne.verbose() and Logging documentation for more).
Returns:

inst : instance of Raw | Epochs | Evoked

Data with EEG channels re-referenced. For ref_channels=None, an average projector will be added instead of directly subtarcting data.

ref_data : array

Array of reference data subtracted from EEG channels. This will be None for an average reference.

See also

set_bipolar_reference
Convenience function for creating bipolar references.

Notes

  1. If a reference is requested that is not the average reference, this function removes any pre-existing average reference projections.
  2. During source localization, the EEG signal should have an average reference.
  3. In order to apply a reference other than an average reference, the data must be preloaded.
  4. Re-referencing to an average reference is done with an SSP projector. This allows applying this reference without preloading the data. Be aware that on preloaded data, SSP projectors are not automatically applied. Use the apply_proj() method to apply them.

New in version 0.9.0.

Examples using mne.set_eeg_reference