Sources of the Electrical Activity of Brain Areas Involving in Imaginary Movements

Abstrakt

We describe the most significant sources of electrophysiological brain activity identified during use of a brain–computer interface based on recognition of EEG patterns during imaginary movements. The main tool for identifying sources consisted of six independent components analysis (ICA) methods based on different criteria of independence. Measures of the significance of sources were: their occurrence rates in different experimental sessions, repetition of extraction in each session using different ICA methods, the effects of each source on of recognition accuracy for EEG patterns corresponding to different imaginary movements, and the potential for approximating the activity of an individual current dipole. The overall set of indicators identified five sources located in the primary somatosensory cortex of both hemispheres, in the left premotor area, the supplementary motor area, and the precuneus. The functional significance of these sources in the framework of the contemporary concepts of the interaction of brain areas supporting the execution of motor functions is discussed.