Hybrid EEG-HEG based neurofeedback device

Abstract

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one type of brain disorder suffered by 6.5% of children in Thailand. The well-known method for treating is by using drug. However, using the drug might lead to some side effects, for example, vomit, dizziness and headache. To avoid these kinds of side effects, neurofeedback is an alternative way for treating ADHD. The signals often employed in neurofeedback are EEG (electroencephalogram) and HEG (hemoencephagram). EEG is the brain wave that changes its frequency in conjunction with brain activities. HEG is the measurement of brain blood flow that changes along with blood oxygenation. There are different advantages/drawbacks of both signals. In order to eliminate the disadvantages of both signals, this paper proposes the hybrid EEG-HEG neurofeedback device which employs both signals to achieve the highest neurofeedback performance. Experimental results show that the proposed hybrid system can efficiently eliminate the artifact problems occurred from using only the EEG. Moreover, the system can improve the low changing rate occurred from using only the HEG.