arXiv subjects

Bijan Pesaran

Publications and source records attributed to Bijan Pesaran.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Deep Cross-Subject Mapping of Neural Activity

Objective. In this paper, we consider the problem of cross-subject decoding, where neural activity data collected from the prefrontal cortex of a given subject (destination) is used to decode motor intentions from the neural activity of a different subject (source). Approach. We cast the problem of neural activity mapping in a probabilistic framework where we adopt deep generative modelling. Our proposed algorithm uses deep conditional variational autoencoder to infer the representation of the neural activity of the source subject into an adequate feature space of the destination subject where neural decoding takes place. Results. We verify our approach on an experimental data set in which two macaque monkeys perform memory-guided visual saccades to one of eight target locations. The results show a peak cross-subject decoding improvement of $8\%$ over subject-specific decoding. Conclusion. We demonstrate that a neural decoder trained on neural activity signals of one subject can be used to robustly decode the motor intentions of a different subject with high reliability. This is achieved in spite of the non-stationary nature of neural activity signals and the subject-specific variations of the recording conditions. Significance. The findings reported in this paper are an important step towards the development of cross-subject brain-computer that generalize well across a population.

cs.NE↗

arXiv2020

Cross-subject Decoding of Eye Movement Goals from Local Field Potentials

Objective. We consider the cross-subject decoding problem from local field potential (LFP) signals, where training data collected from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of a source subject is used to decode intended motor actions in a destination subject. Approach. We propose a novel supervised transfer learning technique, referred to as data centering, which is used to adapt the feature space of the source to the feature space of the destination. The key ingredients of data centering are the transfer functions used to model the deterministic component of the relationship between the source and destination feature spaces. We propose an efficient data-driven estimation approach for linear transfer functions that uses the first and second order moments of the class-conditional distributions. Main result. We apply our data centering technique with linear transfer functions for cross-subject decoding of eye movement intentions in an experiment where two macaque monkeys perform memory-guided visual saccades to one of eight target locations. The results show peak cross-subject decoding performance of $80\%$, which marks a substantial improvement over random choice decoder. In addition to this, data centering also outperforms standard sampling-based methods in setups with imbalanced training data. Significance. The analyses presented herein demonstrate that the proposed data centering is a viable novel technique for reliable LFP-based cross-subject brain-computer interfacing and neural prostheses.

cs.NE↗

arXiv2019

Minimax-optimal decoding of movement goals from local field potentials using complex spectral features

We consider the problem of predicting eye movement goals from local field potentials (LFP) recorded through a multielectrode array in the macaque prefrontal cortex. The monkey is tasked with performing memory-guided saccades to one of eight targets during which LFP activity is recorded and used to train a decoder. Previous reports have mainly relied on the spectral amplitude of the LFPs as a feature in the decoding step to limited success, while neglecting the phase without proper theoretical justification. This paper formulates the problem of decoding eye movement intentions in a statistically optimal framework and uses Gaussian sequence modeling and Pinsker's theorem to generate minimax-optimal estimates of the LFP signals which are later used as features in the decoding step. The approach is shown to act as a low-pass filter and each LFP in the feature space is represented via its complex Fourier coefficients after appropriate shrinking such that higher frequency components are attenuated; this way, the phase information inherently present in the LFP signal is naturally embedded into the feature space. The proposed complex spectrum-based decoder achieves prediction accuracy of up to $94\%$ at superficial electrode depths near the surface of the prefrontal cortex, which marks a significant performance improvement over conventional power spectrum-based decoders.

cs.NE↗

arXiv2017

Classification of Local Field Potentials using Gaussian Sequence Model

A problem of classification of local field potentials (LFPs), recorded from the prefrontal cortex of a macaque monkey, is considered. An adult macaque monkey is trained to perform a memory-based saccade. The objective is to decode the eye movement goals from the LFP collected during a memory period. The LFP classification problem is modeled as that of classification of smooth functions embedded in Gaussian noise. It is then argued that using minimax function estimators as features would lead to consistent LFP classifiers. The theory of Gaussian sequence models allows us to represent minimax estimators as finite dimensional objects. The LFP classifier resulting from this mathematical endeavor is a spectrum based technique, where Fourier series coefficients of the LFP data, followed by appropriate shrinkage and thresholding, are used as features in a linear discriminant classifier. The classifier is then applied to the LFP data to achieve high decoding accuracy. The function classification approach taken in the paper also provides a systematic justification for using Fourier series, with shrinkage and thresholding, as features for the problem, as opposed to using the power spectrum. It also suggests that phase information is crucial to the decision making.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2017

Wavelet Shrinkage and Thresholding based Robust Classification for Brain Computer Interface

A macaque monkey is trained to perform two different kinds of tasks, memory aided and visually aided. In each task, the monkey saccades to eight possible target locations. A classifier is proposed for direction decoding and task decoding based on local field potentials (LFP) collected from the prefrontal cortex. The LFP time-series data is modeled in a nonparametric regression framework, as a function corrupted by Gaussian noise. It is shown that if the function belongs to Besov bodies, then using the proposed wavelet shrinkage and thresholding based classifier is robust and consistent. The classifier is then applied to the LFP data to achieve high decoding performance. The proposed classifier is also quite general and can be applied for the classification of other types of time-series data as well, not necessarily brain data.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2005

A framework for detection and classification of events in neural activity

We present a method for the real time prediction of punctate events in neural activity, based on the time-frequency spectrum of the signal, applicable both to continuous processes like local field potentials (LFP) as well as to spike trains. We test it on recordings of LFP and spiking activity acquired previously from the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) of macaque monkeys performing a memory-saccade task. In contrast to earlier work, where trials with known start times were classified, our method detects and classifies trials directly from the data. It provides a means to quantitatively compare and contrast the content of LFP signals and spike trains: we find that the detector performance based on the LFP matches the performance based on spike rates. The method should find application in the development of neural prosthetics based on the LFP signal. Our approach uses a new feature vector, which we call the 2D cepstrum.

q-bio.NC↗