A procedure for testing across-condition rhythmic spike-field association change

► A statistical methodology is introduced capable of studying changes in the coupling between rhythmic local field potential (LFP) and neural spiking times. ► The methodology successfully deals with a problematic confounding factor present in more standard analyses based upon spike-field coherence. ► The method is capable of studying both per-frequency modulatory effects as well as the tendency of spiking to occur at a specific phase of a sinusoidal (LFP) rhythm. ► The method is effective both in simulation and when analyzing real data.