Evaluating the mobile MUSE EEG headband for studying resting state EEG and event-related potentials

We examined whether and how tactile EEG experiments could be done through self-assessments by participants at home or through online experiments with consumer-grade mobile EEG devices. As a first step towards this aim, we performed a Flanker task in an online scenario with a MUSE headband and similarly a conventional lab experiment with a standard EEG device.Five undergraduate students participated in a visual flanker experiment and associated ERP components were recorded with either a standard 32-channel EEG System or a 4-channel MUSE EEG headband. In addition, we performed a 2-minutes resting state recording.Resting state brain oscillations measured with the Muse device revealed a similar pattern as with a standard EEG machine, however, strength of alpha oscillations was significantly reduced. For the Flanker task, in the Muse data, the stimulus-locked ERP components were less visible as compared to standard EEG, still the N200 was clearly expressed for the correct trials. Interestingly, in the incorrect trials, time-locked to the response there was the same negative Ne component visible as for the standard experiment. Our results reveal that the Muse device is suitable to obtain event-related potentials – even from interpolated electrode channels. Advanced preprocessing and artifact removal algorithms specifically targeting such devices with only a few and peripheral channels might help to better isolate ERP components of interest. It remains the challenge to develop devices and procedures for online tactile testing.