title: Gamma band activity associated with BCI performance: simultaneous MEG/EEG study.
abstract: While brain computer interface (BCI) can be employed with patients and healthy subjects, there are problems that must be resolved before BCI can be useful to the public. In the most popular motor imagery (MI) BCI system, a significant number of target users (called "BCI-Illiterates") cannot modulate their neuronal signals sufficiently to use the BCI system. This causes performance variability among subjects and even among sessions within a subject. The mechanism of such BCI-Illiteracy and possible solutions still remain to be determined. Gamma oscillation is known to be involved in various fundamental brain functions, and may play a role in MI. In this study, we investigated the association of gamma activity with MI performance among subjects. Ten simultaneous MEG/EEG experiments were conducted; MI performance for each was estimated by EEG data, and the gamma activity associated with BCI performance was investigated with MEG data. Our results showed that gamma activity had a high positive correlation with MI performance in the prefrontal area. This trend was also found across sessions within one subject. In conclusion, gamma rhythms generated in the prefrontal area appear to play a critical role in BCI performance.
authors.affiliation: School of Information and Communications, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Gwangju, South Korea.
authors.forename: Minkyu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: School of Information and Communications, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Gwangju, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sangtae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: School of Information and Communications, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Gwangju, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jun H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: School of Information and Communications, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Gwangju, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hohyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science Daejeon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Kiwoong
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Bong S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jin W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: School of Information and Communications, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Gwangju, South Korea ; Wadsworth Center, New York State Health Department, Albany NY, USA.
authors.forename: Sung C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Jun
keywords: BCI-illiteracy; EEG; MEG; gamma activity; motor imagery BCI; performance prediction