Esparza Iaizzo, Martín E.Vigué-Guix, IreneRuzzoli, ManuelaTorralba Cuello, MireiaSoto-Faraco, Salvador, 1970-2023-06-202023-06-202023Esparza-Iaizzo M, Vigué-Guix I, Ruzzoli M, Torralba-Cuello M, Soto-Faraco S. Long-range α-Synchronization as control signal for BCI: a feasibility study. eNeuro. 2023 Mar;10(3):ENEURO.0203-22.2023. DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0203-22.20232373-2822http://hdl.handle.net/10230/57243Shifts in spatial attention are associated with variations in α band (α, 8–14 Hz) activity, specifically in interhemispheric imbalance. The underlying mechanism is attributed to local α-synchronization, which regulates local inhibition of neural excitability, and frontoparietal synchronization reflecting long-range communication. The direction-specific nature of this neural correlate brings forward its potential as a control signal in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). In the present study, we explored whether long-range α-synchronization presents lateralized patterns dependent on voluntary attention orienting and whether these neural patterns can be picked up at a single-trial level to provide a control signal for active BCI. We collected electroencephalography (EEG) data from a cohort of healthy adults (n = 10) while performing a covert visuospatial attention (CVSA) task. The data show a lateralized pattern of α-band phase coupling between frontal and parieto-occipital regions after target presentation, replicating previous findings. This pattern, however, was not evident during the cue-to-target orienting interval, the ideal time window for BCI. Furthermore, decoding the direction of attention trial-by-trial from cue-locked synchronization with support vector machines (SVMs) was at chance level. The present findings suggest EEG may not be capable of detecting long-range α-synchronization in attentional orienting on a single-trial basis and, thus, highlight the limitations of this metric as a reliable signal for BCI control.application/pdfengCopyright © 2023 Esparza-Iaizzo et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided that the original work is properly attributed.info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1523/eneuro.0203-22.2023AlphaBrain-computer interfaceEEGOscillationsPhase couplingVisuospatial attentioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess