Closed-loop photic stimulation using EEG

Accumulating evidence indicates that neural oscillations play a central role in brain function, organising and modulating brain activity in response to both bottom-up exogenous stimuli and top-down endogenous dynamics. It has been pointed out that abnormalities in oscillatory dynamics are sometimes associated with various neuropathologies. Consequently, it has been posited that normalising pathological oscillations in these conditions may reduce negative symptoms of brain disorders. One potential technique for this is photic brain stimulation. However, while it has been shown to be able to increase the power of targeted frequency bands during stimulation, it remains an open question as to whether it is possible to also suppress the amplitude of a frequency band by rhythmic light stimulation. In this thesis, we will explore different light stimulation protocols, assessing whether a more general control of the alpha frequency band is possible. Specifically, we are exploring the during- and post-stimulation impact of photic stimulation and the feasibility that closed-loop interaction between high-luminance LEDs and an electroencephalography (EEG) brain activity signal can both increase and decrease alpha frequency power across the visual cortex while stimulation is being applied.