Can the occipital alpha-phase speed up visual detection through a real-time EEG-based brain-computer interface (BCI)?

Abstract

Electrical brain oscillations reflect fluctuations in neural excitability. Fluctuations in the alpha band (, 8-12 Hz) in the occipito-parietal cortex are thought to regulate sensory responses, leading to cyclic variations in visual perception. Inspired by this theory, some past and recent studies have addressed the relationship between -phase from extra-cranial EEG and behavioural responses to visual stimuli in humans. The latest studies have used offline approaches to confirm -gated cyclic patterns. However, a particularly relevant implication is the possibility to use this principle online for real-time neurotechnology, whereby stimuli are time-locked to specific -phases leading to predictable outcomes in performance. Here we aimed at providing a proof-of-concept for such real-time neurotechnology. Participants performed a speeded response task to visual targets that were presented upon a real-time estimation of the -phase via an EEG closed-loop brain-computer interface (BCI). We predicted, according to the theory, a modulation of reaction times (RTs) along the -cycle. Our BCI system achieved reliable trial-to-trial phase-locking of stimuli to the phase of individual occipito-parietal -oscillations. Yet, the behavioural results did not support a consistent relation between RTs and the phase of the -cycle neither at group nor single participant levels. We must conclude that although the -phase might play a role in perceptual decisions from a theoretical perspective, its impact on EEG-based BCI application appears negligible.