Amplitude and latency of beta power during a discrete and continuous motor imageries

Motor imagery modifies the neural activity within the primary sensorimotor areas of the cortex in a similar way as a real movement. More precisely, beta oscillations (18-25 Hz), which are often considered as a sensorimotor rhythm, show that the amplitude of brain oscillations is modulated before, during, and after a motor imagery. A large number of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are based on the detection of motor imagery related features in the electroencephalographic signal. In most BCI experimental paradigms, subjects realize continuous motor imagery, i.e. a prolonged intention of movement, during a time window of a few seconds. Then, the system detects the movement based on the event-related desynchronization (ERD) and the event-related synchronization (ERS) principles. This study shows that a discrete motor imagery, corresponding to a single short motor imagery, would allow a better detection of ERD and ERS patterns than a continuous motor imagery. Indeed, the results of experiments involving 11 healthy subjects suggest that a continuous motor imagery generates a later ERS as well as a more variable and less detectable ERD than discrete motor imagery. This finding suggests an improved experimental paradigm