On the Automated Removal of Artifacts Related to Head Movement From the EEG

Contamination of the electroencephalogram (EEG) by artifacts related to head movement is a major cause of reduced signal quality. This is a problem in both neuroscience and other uses of the EEG. To attempt to reduce the influence, on the EEG, of artifacts related to head movement, an accelerometer is placed on the head and independent component analysis is applied to attempt to separate artifacts which are statistically related to head movements. To evaluate the method, EEG and accelerometer measurements are made from 14 individuals with Cerebral palsy attempting to control a sensorimotor rhythm based brain-computer interface. Results show that the approach significantly reduces the influence of head movement related artifacts in the EEG.

I. Introduction

The Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a noninvasive method for recording bioelectrical brain activity which may be used for, amongst other things, neuroscience studies. It is a commonly used method because it is relatively cheap, safe, and convenient to use with humans, both in clinical and natural settings, when compared to many other neuroimaging technologies [1].