Measuring P300 Event-Related Potential for Development of an Electroencephalograph Device for the Ear

Abstract

This study aimed to measure the P300wave of event-related potential around the ears using the P300-speller, as step in the development of an ear-mounted electroencephalography (EEG) device. In ordinary EEG measurements, challenges such as unsightly EEG caps and the mess caused by using conductive paste are notable issues. To address these problems, methods have been proposed in recent years for measuring EEG signals around the ears. Previous studies have reported classification rates of more than 70% for signals containing P300 using linear discriminant analysis (LDA), indicating that it is possible to record P300 from the ear periphery. In this study, EEG measurements were taken around the ears during tasks involved the P300-speller, and the results were evaluated by waveform analysis and LDA. P300 waveforms were successfully identified at measurement points near the ears, and in the eight participants for whom successful measurements were, captured; LDA achieved a classification accuracy exceeding 90%.