Transcranial magnetic stimulation for individual identification of the best electrode position for a motor imagery-based brain-computer interface

摘要

BackgroundFor the translation of noninvasive motor imagery (MI)-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) from the lab environment to end users at their homes, their handling must be improved. As a key component, the number of electroencephalogram (EEG)-recording electrodes has to be kept at a minimum. However, due to inter-individual anatomical and physiological variations, reducing the number of electrodes bares the risk of electrode misplacement, which will directly translate into a limited BCI performance of end users. The aim of the study is to evaluate the use of focal transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as an easy tool to individually optimize electrode positioning for a MI-based BCI. For this, the area of MI-induced mu-rhythm modulation was compared with the motor hand representation area in respect to their localization and to the control performance of a MI-based BCI.