A Brain-Computer Interface Based on Multi-Modal Attention

The amplitude of steady-state evoked potentials (SSEP) can be modulated by switching spatial attention within one modality. In this article, we show that switching attention between different sensory modalities also modulates SSEP amplitude. This could be used to combine classifications in each modality into a multi-modal brain-computer interface (BCI) system. We present the result of combining visual and tactile stimulation. Our investigation also revealed an attention-related power change of the mu-rhythm. Taking this as an additional feature into account results in a three-class BCI system with the same accuracy like an SSSEP-based system with only two classes