Brain Stimulation and Brain Computer Interfacing

In this workshop paper, we present two of our team’s findings on the effect of brain electrical stimulation on BCI performance, reflecting a trend in neuro-engineering research. In many applications, BCI technology targets users with impaired neural activity and as such enhancement of such activity can be of great importance. We show that the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can significantly enhance an EEG potential (P300) which is used in BCI spellers. In addition, tDCS application also appears to improve working memory performance particularly relating to the recall of shapes.