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A study of SSVEP from below-the-hairline areas in low-, medium-, and high-frequency ranges

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Abstract

Purpose

Recent studies have analyzed steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) measured on belowthe-hairline areas, such as behind-the-ears (temporal area) and face (frontal area) using different montages of channels and frequency bands. This study aims to investigate how both reference electrode and frequency ranges (low, medium, and high bands) affect the SSVEP measured on hairless areas of temporal and frontal.

Methods

The EEG signals were acquired from 12 individuals, and the elicited SSVEP was evaluated in terms of amplitude and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

Results

The best electrode combinations for measuring SSVEP on hairless areas are obtained with Fpz-Tp9 and Fpz-Tp10 (up to 40 Hz); however, for stimuli frequencies higher than 40 Hz, the best result is obtained with the temporal area and with the reference electrode located on the ear.

Conclusion

The SSVEP amplitude and the SNR depend on the combination of the electrode reference and the range of visual stimulus frequency. These findings can aid in the development of more practical and comfortable SSVEP-based BCIs.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the technical support from the Federal University of Espirito Santo (UFES/Brazil) and the National University of San Juan (Argentina).

Funding

This study was financed in part by the CAPES/Brazil - Finance Code 88887.095636/2015-01.

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Author notes

  1. Alan Floriano

    Present address: Postgraduate Program in Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate Program in Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória, Brazil

    Teodiano Freire Bastos-Filho

  2. Gabinete de Tecnologia Medica (GATEME), Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, San Juan, Argentina

    Victor Luciano Carmona & Pablo F. Diez

  3. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Victor Luciano Carmona & Pablo F. Diez

Authors
  1. Alan Floriano
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  2. Victor Luciano Carmona
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  3. Pablo F. Diez
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  4. Teodiano Freire Bastos-Filho
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alan Floriano.

Ethics declarations

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the School of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of the National University of San Juan Argentina (act #7).

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Floriano, A., Carmona, V.L., Diez, P.F. et al. A study of SSVEP from below-the-hairline areas in low-, medium-, and high-frequency ranges. Res. Biomed. Eng. 35, 71–76 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42600-019-00005-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42600-019-00005-2

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