RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Long-Range α-Synchronization as Control Signal for BCI: A Feasibility Study
JF eneuro
JO eNeuro
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP ENEURO.0203-22.2023
DO 10.1523/ENEURO.0203-22.2023
VO 10
IS 3
A1 Martín Esparza-Iaizzo
A1 Irene Vigué-Guix
A1 Manuela Ruzzoli
A1 Mireia Torralba-Cuello
A1 Salvador Soto-Faraco
YR 2023
UL http://www.eneuro.org/content/10/3/ENEURO.0203-22.2023.abstract
AB Shifts in spatial attention are associated with variations in α band (α, 8–14 Hz) activity, specifically in interhemispheric imbalance. The underlying mechanism is attributed to local α-synchronization, which regulates local inhibition of neural excitability, and frontoparietal synchronization reflecting long-range communication. The direction-specific nature of this neural correlate brings forward its potential as a control signal in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). In the present study, we explored whether long-range α-synchronization presents lateralized patterns dependent on voluntary attention orienting and whether these neural patterns can be picked up at a single-trial level to provide a control signal for active BCI. We collected electroencephalography (EEG) data from a cohort of healthy adults (n = 10) while performing a covert visuospatial attention (CVSA) task. The data show a lateralized pattern of α-band phase coupling between frontal and parieto-occipital regions after target presentation, replicating previous findings. This pattern, however, was not evident during the cue-to-target orienting interval, the ideal time window for BCI. Furthermore, decoding the direction of attention trial-by-trial from cue-locked synchronization with support vector machines (SVMs) was at chance level. The present findings suggest EEG may not be capable of detecting long-range α-synchronization in attentional orienting on a single-trial basis and, thus, highlight the limitations of this metric as a reliable signal for BCI control.