Measuring motor intent for BCI control–A comparative analysis of signal quality of simultaneously recorded vECoG and scalp EEG

Abstract Objective. Stent-electrode arrays enable endovascular brain–computer interfaces (BCI) by recording cortical neural activity from within the superior sagittal sinus and have recently been evaluated in an early feasibility clinical trial in the United States (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05035823). For a BCI to be viable, the signals need to be high quality to enable accurate decoding of user intent. Compared to electrodes placed on the scalp for electroencephalography (EEG), stent-electrode arrays lie closer to the cortical surface and would presumably offer higher signal quality yet a direct comparison of intravascular and scalp-based neural recordings in humans has not yet been investigated. Approach. We directly compared the signal quality of vascular electrocorticography (vECoG) versus scalp EEG signals in one participant with severe upper limb paralysis due to ALS. During two experimental sessions, the participant underwent simultaneous recording with the stent-electrode array and a scalp EEG using a gel cap. The participant was visually cued to attempt motor tasks, such as repeated flexion and extension of the ankles. Signal quality was assessed by quantifying motor modulation strength, differentiation of movement effort, and spatial lateralization. Noise metrics evaluated the relative impact of artifacts including 60 Hz line noise, electrocardiogram contamination, eye blinks, jaw clenching, and vocalization. Main results. Both recording modalities exhibited significant modulation during attempted movement relative to rest, with vECoG generally demonstrating significantly stronger modulation per channel in some frequency bands and conditions. Motor modulation was significantly reduced during motor imagery compared to overt movement in both modalities. Spatial source localization between left and right ankle movement did not reach significance for either modality. Each modality was vulnerable to some artifacts while generally unaffected by others. Scalp EEG showed large susceptibility to ocular artifacts and cranial muscle activity due to its proximity to superficial physiological sources, whereas vECoG exhibited prominent cardiac activity. Significance. Within this participant, the large modulation during attempted movement recorded with vECoG, unaffected by the attenuating effects of the skull, coupled with fewer artifacts in the frequency bands of interest, provides preliminary evidence that the stent-electrode arrays can acquire high quality neural signals that could support BCI control.