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Analysis of Electroencephalography Event-Related Desynchronisation and Synchronisation Induced by Lower-Limb Stepping Motor Imagery

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Abstract

Bilateral upper-limb motor imagery has been demonstrated to be a useful mental task in electroencephalography (EEG)-based brain–computer interfaces (BCIs). By contrast, few studies have examined bilateral lower-limb motor imagery, and all of them have focused on imaginary foot movements. The left–right classification accuracy reported in these studies based on the EEG mu rhythm (8–13 Hz) and beta band (13–30 Hz) remains unsatisfactory. The present study investigated the possibility of using lower-limb stepping motor imagery as the mental task and analysed the EEG difference between imaginary left-leg stepping (L-stepping) and right-leg stepping (R-stepping) movements. An experimental paradigm was designed to collect 5-s motor imagery EEG signals at nine recording sites around the vertex of the brain. Results from eight able-bodied participants indicated that the commonly used mu event-related desynchronisation (ERD) feature exhibited no significant difference between the two imaginary movements for all recording sites and all time intervals within the 5-s motor imagery period. Regarding the other commonly used feature, beta event-related synchronisation, no significant difference between the two imagery tasks was observed for most of the recording sites and time intervals. Instead, theta band (4–8 Hz) ERD significantly differed between the L- and R-stepping imagery tasks at five sites (FC4, C3, CP3, Cz, CPz) within the first 2 s after motor imagery cue onset. The findings from the present study may be a basis for further development of BCI systems for decoding left and right stepping during mental exercise where the two motions are alternately imagined.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan, under Grant No. 103-2923-E-027-001-MY3. The Authors would like to thank Dr. Chien-Te Wu, National Taiwan University, and Mr. Shiuan Huang, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, for useful discussion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yi-Hung Liu, Yun Chang & Yu-Tsung Hsiao

  2. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Li-Fong Lin

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chungli, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chun-Wei Chou

  4. Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan

    Wei-Chun Hsu

  5. School of Gerontology and Health Management, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Li-Fong Lin

  6. National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan

    Wei-Chun Hsu

  7. Department of Athletic Performance, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Wei-Chun Hsu

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Liu, YH., Lin, LF., Chou, CW. et al. Analysis of Electroencephalography Event-Related Desynchronisation and Synchronisation Induced by Lower-Limb Stepping Motor Imagery. J. Med. Biol. Eng. 39, 54–69 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40846-018-0379-9

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