Modulation of beta power in EEG during discrete and continuous motor imageries

In most Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) experimental paradigms based on Motor Imageries (MI), subjects perform continuous motor imagery (CMI), i.e. a repetitive and prolonged intention of movement, for a few seconds. To improve efficiency such as detecting faster a motor imagery, the purpose of this study is to show the difference between a discrete motor imagery (DMI), i.e. a single short MI, and a CMI. The results of experiment involving 13 healthy subjects suggest that a DMI generates a robust post-MI event-related synchronization (ERS). Moreover event-related desynchronization (ERD) produced by DMI seems less variable in certain cases compared to a CMI.