AUTHOR=Xavier Fidêncio Aline , Grün Felix , Klaes Christian , Iossifidis Ioannis 

TITLE=Hybrid brain-computer interface using error-related potential and reinforcement learning

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 19 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2025.1569411

DOI=10.3389/fnhum.2025.1569411

ISSN=1662-5161

ABSTRACT=Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) offer alternative communication methods for individuals with motor disabilities, aiming to improve their quality of life through external device control. However, non-invasive BCIs using electroencephalography (EEG) often suffer from performance limitations due to non-stationarities arising from changes in mental state or device characteristics. Addressing these challenges motivates the development of adaptive systems capable of real-time adjustment. This study investigates a novel approach for creating an adaptive, error-related potential (ErrP)-based BCI using reinforcement learning (RL) to dynamically adapt to EEG signal variations. The framework was validated through experiments on a publicly available motor imagery dataset and a novel fast-paced protocol designed to enhance user engagement. Results showed that RL agents effectively learned control policies from user interactions, maintaining robust performance across datasets. However, findings from the game-based protocol revealed that fast-paced motor imagery tasks were ineffective for most participants, highlighting critical challenges in real-time BCI task design. Overall, the results demonstrate the potential of RL for enhancing BCI adaptability while identifying practical constraints in task complexity and user responsiveness.