Phase Coherent Detection of Steady-State Evoked Potentials: Theory and Performance Analysis

In this paper a novel phase coherent detection method for discrimination of steady-state evoked potentials is introduced. This method utilizes information on the stimulus phase, resulting in significantly decreased classification error probabilities compared to non-coherent methods. Moreover it allows for detection of phase shifted stimuli. A theoretical framework for non-stationary modelling and analysis of steady-state evoked potentials is proposed. A detection scheme is presented and analyzed in terms of error probabilities in order to allow for optimization of design parameters. Experimental results demonstrate the consistency of the theoretical results and experimental data.