Robust and highly adaptable brain-computer interface with convolutional net architecture based on a generative model of neuromagnetic measurements

Deep Neural Networks have been applied very successfully in image recognition and natural language processing. Recently these powerful methods have received attention also in the brain-computer interface (BCI) community. Here, we introduce a convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture optimized for classification of brain states from non-invasive magnetoencephalographic (MEG) measurements. The model structure is motivated by a state-of-the-art generative model of the MEG signal and is thus readily interpretable in neurophysiological terms. We demonstrate that the proposed model is highly accurate in decoding event-related responses as well as modulations of oscillatory brain activity, and is robust with respect to inter-individual differences. Importantly, the model generalizes well across users: when trained on data pooled from previous users, it can successfully perform on new users. Thus, the time-consuming BCI calibration can be omitted. Moreover, the model can be incrementally updated, resulting in +8.9% average accuracy improvement in offline experiments and +17.0% in a real-time BCI. We argue that this model can be used in practical BCIs and basic neuroscience research.