https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-02101-0
Regular Article
Optimization of wavelet bicoherence-based phase synchronization assessment for biomedical applications in sleep studies
1
Department of Biophysics and Digital Technologies, Saratov State Medical University named after V.I. Razumovsky, Bolshaya Kazachya St., 112, 410012, Saratov, Russian Federation
2
Center for Coordination of Fundamental Scientific Activities, National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine, Petroverigsky Lane, 10, 101000, Moscow, Russian Federation
3
Institute of Physics, Saratov State University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky, Astrakhanskaya St., 83, 410012, Saratov, Russian Federation
a
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Received:
13
October
2025
Accepted:
8
December
2025
Published online:
15
December
2025
This study presents a methodological framework for optimizing the computationally intensive assessment of phase synchronization based on wavelet bicoherence (WB) for the analysis of long-term biomedical signals, specifically polysomnographic (PSG) recordings. The optimization targets the analysis of electroencephalography (EEG) signals to detect impaired interhemispheric connectivity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Key strategies include frequency band selection focusing on the most discriminative low-frequency ranges ([1 : 2] Hz), reduction of analyzed EEG channel pairs to the most significant symmetrical leads (C3–C4), and parameter tuning for numerical integration and averaging window size. We demonstrate that using 50% of the EEG recording duration and an averaging window of 
3 s yields statistically significant differences (
, Mann–Whitney 
test) in WB between healthy controls and OSA patients, consistent with reference GPU-accelerated calculations, while reducing the computation time on a standard CPU to approximately 26 min. This optimization makes WB analysis feasible for practical medical applications, potentially enabling simpler screening tools for sleep-disordered breathing based on limited EEG recordings.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
