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Updated: May 14, 2026
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Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: August 1, 2017
Impact of mental focus on steady-state visually evoked potential under eyes closed condition for binary brain
Seiji Nishifuji1, Takahiko Kuroda
1Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yamaguchi University, Ube, 755-8611 Japan. nisifuji@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp
Summary
This study shows that mental focus can alter steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP) with eyes closed. This finding supports a new brain-computer interface (BCI) for individuals with severe disabilities.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP) are commonly used in brain-computer interfaces (BCI).
- Conventional SSVEP BCIs require eye movement control, limiting use for severely disabled individuals.
- Investigating SSVEP modulation by mental focus under eyes-closed conditions is crucial for alternative BCI development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of mental focusing on SSVEP amplitude with eyes closed.
- To explore the feasibility of a novel SSVEP-based BCI for individuals unable to control eye movements.
- To determine if mental concentration can modulate SSVEP signals for BCI applications.
Main Methods:
- Healthy adult participants concentrated on flicker stimuli under eyes-closed conditions.
- SSVEP amplitude changes were measured in posterior and occipital regions.
- Stimulus parameters included flicker frequencies of 10 Hz and 14 Hz at 5 lx intensity.
Main Results:
- SSVEP amplitude decreased by over 20% in the posterior region for 10/11 participants at 10 Hz.
- A similar amplitude reduction was observed in the occipital region at 14 Hz.
- These modulations indicate SSVEP is sensitive to mental focus even with eyes closed.
Conclusions:
- Mental focusing significantly affects SSVEP amplitude under eyes-closed conditions.
- The findings suggest the potential for developing an SSVEP-based binary BCI utilizing mental focus.
- This approach could enable BCI use for severely disabled individuals who cannot control eye movements.
