Effects of Jaw Clench Actions on Steady-State Visual Evoked Potential Detection at Some Typical Frequencies

More and more hybrid brain-computer interfaces (BCI) supplement traditional single-modality BCI in practical applications. Combinations based on steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) and electromyography (EMG) are the widely used hybrid BCIs. The EMG of jaw clench is commonly used together with SSVEP. This article explored the interference with SSVEP from occipital electrodes by the jaw clench-related EMG so that SSVEP with specific frequency can be identified even during occlusal movements. The experiment was divided into three sets base on the jaw clench patterns (no clenches, chew, and long clench). In each set, the subjects used the same visual stimuli, which were realized by the three flashing targets at different frequencies (6.2Hz, 9.8Hz, and 14.6Hz). After collecting the SSVEP at 4 sites in the occipital region, the SSVEP response spectrum of each stimulus was observed under the three jaw clench patterns. Then, the SSVEP signal was identified by the canonical correlation analysis method for accuracy statistics. Spectrum responses showed that the interference of the jaw clench EMG on SSVEP could be avoided when the stimulation frequency is lower than 20Hz. SSVEP could be identified based on the frequency domain characteristics of these signals. During steady-state visual stimulation with jaw clenches, the recognition rate of SSVEP was still high (no clenches: 100.0%, chew: 94.7%, and long clench: 100.0%). Through reasonable frequency selecting and signal processing, the influence of the jaw clench movement on the SSVEP could be reduced and a high recognition accuracy could be achieved, even the jaw clench actions and the SSVEP stimulation occur simultaneously.