MCRBM–CNN: A Hybrid Deep Learning Framework for Robust SSVEP Classification

The steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP), a non-invasive EEG modality, is a prominent approach for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) due to its high signal-to-noise ratio and minimal user training. However, its practical utility is often hampered by susceptibility to noise, artifacts, and concurrent brain activities, complicating signal decoding. To address this, we propose a novel hybrid deep learning model that integrates a multi-channel restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM) with a convolutional neural network (CNN). The framework comprises two main modules: a feature extraction module and a classification module. The former employs a multi-channel RBM to unsupervisedly learn latent feature representations from multi-channel EEG data, effectively capturing inter-channel correlations to enhance feature discriminability. The latter leverages convolutional operations to further extract spatiotemporal features, constructing a deep discriminative model for the automatic recognition of SSVEP signals. Comprehensive evaluations on multiple public datasets demonstrate that our proposed method achieves competitive performance compared to various benchmarks, particularly exhibiting superior effectiveness and robustness in short-time window scenarios.