EEG-based motor imagery analysis using weighted wavelet transform features

Abstract

In this study, an electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis system for single-trial classification of motor imagery (MI) data is proposed. Feature extraction in brain–computer interface (BCI) work is an important task that significantly affects the success of brain signal classification. The continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is applied together with Student's two-sample t-statistics for 2D time–scale feature extraction, where features are extracted from EEG signals recorded from subjects performing left and right MI. First, we utilize the CWT to construct a 2D time–scale feature, which yields a highly redundant representation of EEG signals in the time–frequency domain, from which we can obtain precise localization of event-related brain desynchronization and synchronization (ERD and ERS) components. We then weight the 2D time–scale feature with Student's two-sample t-statistics, representing a time–scale plot of discriminant information between left and right MI. These important characteristics, including precise localization and significant discriminative ability, substantially enhance the classification of mental tasks. Finally, a correlation coefficient is used to classify the MI data. Due to its simplicity, it will enable the performance of our proposed method to be clearly demonstrated. Compared to a conventional 2D time–frequency feature and three well-known time–frequency approaches, the experimental results show that the proposed method provides reliable 2D time–scale features for BCI classification.