Robust, long-term control of an electrocorticographic brain-computer interface with fixed parameters

All previous multiple-day brain-computer interface (BCI) experiments have dynamically adjusted the parameterization between the signals measured from the brain and the features used to control the interface. The authors present the results of a multiple-day electrocorticographic (ECoG) BCI experiment. A patient with a subdural electrode array implanted for seizure localization performed tongue motor tasks. After an initial screening and feature selection on the 1st day, 5 consecutive days of cursor-based feedback were performed with a fixed parameterization. Control of the interface was robust throughout all days, with performance increasing to a stable state in which high-frequency ECoG signal could immediately be translated into cursor control. These findings demonstrate that ECoG-based BCIs can be implemented for multiple-day control without the necessity for sophisticated retraining and adaptation. (DOI:10.3171/2009.4.FOCUS0977)