title: Enhanced performance by a hybrid NIRS-EEG brain computer interface.
abstract: Noninvasive Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) have been promoted to be used for neuroprosthetics. However, reports on applications with electroencephalography (EEG) show a demand for a better accuracy and stability. Here we investigate whether near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can be used to enhance the EEG approach. In our study both methods were applied simultaneously in a real-time Sensory Motor Rhythm (SMR)-based BCI paradigm, involving executed movements as well as motor imagery. We tested how the classification of NIRS data can complement ongoing real-time EEG classification. Our results show that simultaneous measurements of NIRS and EEG can significantly improve the classification accuracy of motor imagery in over 90% of considered subjects and increases performance by 5% on average (p<0:01). However, the long time delay of the hemodynamic response may hinder an overall increase of bit-rates. Furthermore we find that EEG and NIRS complement each other in terms of information content and are thus a viable multimodal imaging technique, suitable for BCI.
authors.affiliation: Berlin Institute of Technology, Machine Learning Department, Berlin, Germany. fazli@cs.tu-berlin.de
authors.forename: Siamac
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fazli
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mehnert
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steinbrink
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Curio
authors.forename: Arno
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villringer
authors.forename: Klaus-Robert
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blankertz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000379:methods*; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult