Steady-State Visual Evoked Potential (SSVEP) recognition methods use a subject’s calibration data to differentiate between brain responses, hence, providing the SSVEP-based brain–computer interfaces ...(BCIs) with high performance. However, they require sufficient calibration EEG trials to achieve that. This study develops a new method to learn from limited calibration EEG trials, and it proposes and evaluates a novel adaptive data-driven spatial filtering approach for enhancing SSVEP detection. The spatial filter learned from each stimulus utilizes temporal information from the corresponding EEG trials. To introduce the temporal information into the overall procedure, a multitask learning approach, based on the Bayesian framework, is adopted. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated into two publicly available benchmark datasets, and the results demonstrated that our method outperformed competing methods by a significant margin.
Brain biometrics have received increasing attention from the scientific community due to their unique properties compared to traditional biometric methods. Many studies have shown that EEG features ...are distinct across individuals. In this study, we propose a novel approach by considering spatial patterns of the brain's responses due to visual stimulation at specific frequencies. More specifically, we propose, for the identification of the individuals, to combine common spatial patterns with specialized deep-learning neural networks. The adoption of common spatial patterns gives us the ability to design personalized spatial filters. In addition, with the help of deep neural networks, the spatial patterns are mapped into new (deep) representations where the discrimination between individuals is performed with a high correct recognition rate. We conducted a comprehensive comparison between the performance of the proposed method and several classical methods on two steady-state visual evoked potential datasets consisting of thirty-five and eleven subjects, respectively. Furthermore, our analysis includes a large number of flickering frequencies in the steady-state visual evoked potential experiment. Experiments on these two steady-state visual evoked potential datasets showed the usefulness of our approach in terms of person identification and usability. The proposed method achieved an averaged correct recognition rate of 99% over a large number of frequencies for the visual stimulus.
This paper deals with the classification of steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP), which is a multiclass classification problem addressed in SSVEP-based brain-computer interfaces. In ...particular, our method named MultiLRM_MKL uses multiple linear regression models under a Sparse Bayesian Learning (SBL) framework to discriminate between the SSVEP classes. The regression coefficients of each model are learned using the Variational Bayesian (VB) framework and the kernel trick is adopted not only for reducing the computational cost of our method, but also for enabling the combination of different kernel spaces. We verify the effectiveness of our method in handling different kernel spaces by evaluating its performance with a new kernel based on canonical correlation analysis. In particular, we prove the benefit of combining multiple kernels by outperforming several state-of-the-art methods in two SSVEP datasets, reaching an information transfer rate of 93 b/min using only three channels from the occipital area (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">O_z</tex-math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">O_1</tex-math></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">O_2</tex-math></inline-formula>).
In this work, we propose a novel framework to recognize the cognitive and affective processes of the brain during neuromarketing-based stimuli using EEG signals. The most crucial component of our ...approach is the proposed classification algorithm that is based on a sparse representation classification scheme. The basic assumption of our approach is that EEG features from a cognitive or affective process lie on a linear subspace. Hence, a test brain signal can be represented as a linear (or weighted) combination of brain signals from all classes in the training set. The class membership of the brain signals is determined by adopting the Sparse Bayesian Framework with graph-based priors over the weights of linear combination. Furthermore, the classification rule is constructed by using the residuals of linear combination. The experiments on a publicly available neuromarketing EEG dataset demonstrate the usefulness of our approach. For the two classification tasks offered by the employed dataset, namely affective state recognition and cognitive state recognition, the proposed classification scheme manages to achieve a higher classification accuracy compared to the baseline and state-of-the art methods (more than 8% improvement in classification accuracy).
Meditation imparts relaxation and constitutes an important non-pharmacological intervention for people with cognitive impairment. Moreover, EEG has been widely used as a tool for detecting brain ...changes even at the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The current study investigates the effect of meditation practices on the human brain across the AD spectrum by using a novel portable EEG headband in a smart-home environment.
Forty (40) people (13 Healthy Controls-HC, 14 with Subjective Cognitive Decline-SCD and 13 with Mild Cognitive Impairment-MCI) participated practicing Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (Session 2-MBSR) and a novel adaptation of the Kirtan Kriya meditation to the Greek culture setting (Session 3-KK), while a Resting State (RS) condition was undertaken at baseline and follow-up (Session 1-RS Baseline and Session 4-RS Follow-Up). The signals were recorded by using the Muse EEG device and brain waves were computed (alpha, theta, gamma, and beta).
Analysis was conducted on four-electrodes (AF7, AF8, TP9, and TP10). Statistical analysis included the Kruskal-Wallis (KW) nonparametric analysis of variance. The results revealed that both states of MBSR and KK lead to a marked difference in the brain's activation patterns across people at different cognitive states. Wilcoxon Signed-ranks test indicated for HC that theta waves at TP9, TP10 and AF7, AF8 in Session 3-KK were statistically significantly reduced compared to Session 1-RS
= -2.271,
= 0.023,
= -3.110,
= 0.002 and
= -2.341,
= 0.019,
= -2.132,
= 0.033, respectively.
The results showed the potential of the parameters used between the various groups (HC, SCD, and MCI) as well as between the two meditation sessions (MBSR and KK) in discriminating early cognitive decline and brain alterations in a smart-home environment without medical support.
Neuromarketing is a continuously evolving field that utilises neuroimaging technologies to explore consumers' behavioural responses to specific marketing-related stimulation, and furthermore ...introduces novel marketing tools that could complement the traditional ones like questionnaires. In this context, the present paper introduces a multimodal Neuromarketing dataset that encompasses the data from 42 individuals who participated in an advertising brochure-browsing scenario. In more detail, participants were exposed to a series of supermarket brochures (containing various products) and instructed to select the products they intended to buy. The data collected for each individual executing this protocol included: (i) encephalographic (EEG) recordings, (ii) eye tracking (ET) recordings, (iii) questionnaire responses (demographic, profiling and product related questions), and (iv) computer mouse data. NeuMa dataset has both dynamic and multimodal nature and, due to the narrow availability of open relevant datasets, provides new and unique opportunities for researchers in the field to attempt a more holistic approach to neuromarketing.
We propose a new method for EEG source localization. An efficient solution to this problem requires choosing an appropriate regularization term in order to constraint the original problem. In our ...work, we adopt the Bayesian framework to place constraints; hence, the regularization term is closely connected to the prior distribution. More specifically, we propose a new sparse prior for the localization of EEG sources. The proposed prior distribution has sparse properties favoring focal EEG sources. In order to obtain an efficient algorithm, we use the variational Bayesian (VB) framework which provides us with a tractable iterative algorithm of closed-form equations. Additionally, we provide extensions of our method in cases where we observe group structures and spatially extended EEG sources. We have performed experiments using synthetic EEG data and real EEG data from three publicly available datasets. The real EEG data are produced due to the presentation of auditory and visual stimulus. We compare the proposed method with well-known approaches of EEG source localization and the results have shown that our method presents state-of-the-art performance, especially in cases where we expect few activated brain regions. The proposed method can effectively detect EEG sources in various circumstances. Overall, the proposed sparse prior for EEG source localization results in more accurate localization of EEG sources than state-of-the-art approaches.
The classification of Motor Imagery (MI) tasks constitutes one of the most challenging problems in Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) mostly due to the varying conditions of its operation. These ...conditions may vary with respect to the number of electrodes, the time and effort that can be invested by the user for training/calibrating the system prior to its use, as well as the duration or even the type of the imaginary task that is most convenient for the user. Hence, it is desirable to design classification schemes that are not only accurate in terms of the classification output but also robust to changes in the operational conditions. Towards this goal, we propose a new sparse representation classification scheme that extends current sparse representation schemes by exploiting the group sparsity of relevant features. Based on this scheme each test signal is represented as a linear combination of train trials that are further constrained to belong in the same MI class. Our expectation is that this constrained linear combination exploiting the grouping structure of the training data will lead to representations that are more robust to varying operational conditions. Moreover, in order to avoid overfitting and provide a model with good generalization abilities we adopt the bayesian framework and, in particular, the Variational Bayesian Framework since we use a specific approximate posterior to exploit the grouping structure of the data. We have evaluated the proposed algorithm on two MI datasets using electroencephalograms (EEG) that allowed us to simulate different operational conditions like the number of available channels, the number of training trials, the type of MI tasks, as well as the duration of each trial. Results have shown that the proposed method presents state-of-the-art performance against well known classification methods in MI BCI literature.
Assessing functional decline related to activities of daily living (ADLs) is deemed significant for the early diagnosis of dementia. As current assessment methods for ADLs often lack the ability to ...capture subtle changes, technology-based approaches are perceived as advantageous. Specifically, digital biomarkers are emerging, offering a promising avenue for research, as they allow unobtrusive and objective monitoring.
A study was conducted with the involvement of 36 participants assigned to three known groups (Healthy Controls, participants with Subjective Cognitive Decline and participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment). Participants visited the CERTH-IT Smart Home, an environment that simulates a fully functional residence, and were asked to follow a protocol describing different ADL Tasks (namely Task 1 - Meal, Task 2 - Beverage and Task 3 - Snack Preparation). By utilizing data from fixed in-home sensors installed in the Smart Home, the identification of the performed Tasks and their derived features was explored through the developed CARL platform. Furthermore, differences between groups were investigated. Finally, overall feasibility and study satisfaction were evaluated.
The composition of the ADLs was attainable, and differentiation among the HC group compared to the SCD and the MCI groups considering the feature "Activity Duration" in Task 1 - Meal Preparation was possible, while no difference could be noted between the SCD and the MCI groups.
This ecologically valid study was determined as feasible, with participants expressing positive feedback. The findings additionally reinforce the interest and need to include people in preclinical stages of dementia in research to further evolve and develop clinically relevant digital biomarkers.
The wider adoption of Riemannian geometry in electroencephalography (EEG) processing is hindered by two factors: (a) it involves the manipulation of complex mathematical formulations and, (b) it ...leads to computationally demanding tasks. The main scope of this work is to simplify particular notions of Riemannian geometry and provide an efficient and comprehensible scheme for neuroscientific explorations.
To overcome the aforementioned shortcomings, we exploit the concept of approximate joint diagonalization in order to reconstruct the spatial covariance matrices assuming the existence of (and identifying) a common eigenspace in which the application of Riemannian geometry is significantly simplified.
The employed reconstruction process abides to physiologically plausible assumptions, reduces the computational complexity in Riemannian geometry schemes and bridges the gap between rigorous mathematical procedures and computational neuroscience. Our approach is both formally established and experimentally validated by employing real and synthetic EEG data.
The implications of the introduced reconstruction process are highlighted by reformulating and re-introducing two signal processing methodologies, namely the 'Symmetric Positive Definite (SPD) Matrix Quantization' and the 'Coding over SPD Atoms'. The presented approach paves the way for robust and efficient neuroscientific explorations that exploit Riemannian geometry schemes.