Optimizing spatio-temporal filters for improving Brain-Computer Interfacing

Part of Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 18 (NIPS 2005)

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Authors

Guido Dornhege, Benjamin Blankertz, Matthias Krauledat, Florian Losch, Gabriel Curio, Klaus-Robert Müller

Abstract

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems create a novel communication channel from the brain to an output device by bypassing conventional motor output pathways of nerves and muscles. Therefore they could provide a new communication and control option for paralyzed patients. Modern BCI technology is essentially based on techniques for the clas- sification of single-trial brain signals. Here we present a novel technique that allows the simultaneous optimization of a spatial and a spectral filter enhancing discriminability of multi-channel EEG single-trials. The eval- uation of 60 experiments involving 22 different subjects demonstrates the superiority of the proposed algorithm. Apart from the enhanced clas- sification, the spatial and/or the spectral filter that are determined by the algorithm can also be used for further analysis of the data, e.g., for source localization of the respective brain rhythms.