Investigating singing imagery as an additional or alternative control task for EEG-based Brain-Computer Interfaces

Introduction: Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide a movement-free means of communication and control, typically based on motor imagery (MI) tasks of hand, foot, or tongue movements. Most BCI studies focus on classifying up to four such tasks, which limits the number of available commands and restricts overall system functionality. Expanding the range of reliable mental tasks would directly increase the number of possible commands and thereby enhance the practical utility of BCIs. Singing imagery (SI) may offer an intuitive alternative or additional task to complement conventional MI paradigms. Methods: EEG data were recorded from 14 participants performing right-hand, left-hand, foot, and tongue MI, SI, and rest. Features were extracted using filter bank common spatial patterns (FBCSP), and tasks were classified with a random forest algorithm across 2-, 4-, 5-, and 6-class scenarios. Subjective data regarding participants' perceived task difficulty and general task preferences was also collected. Results: Classification accuracies with SI included were comparable to subsets of conventional MI tasks in 2-, 4-, and 5-class scenarios. In the 6-class scenario, average accuracy was approximately 60%, with six participants exceeding 70%, the level often cited as being necessary for effective BCI control. It is reasonable to expect performance to improve further with more advanced analysis methods and participant training. Conclusion: These promising results suggest that singing imagery can serve as both an additional and an alternative task in MI-BCIs. In lower-class systems, SI may provide a valuable option for generating commands, particularly for users who may find some conventional MI tasks less intuitive. When combined with the established MI tasks, SI could increase the number of possible commands, thereby extending the functional capacity of BCI systems. Overall, this work demonstrates the potential of SI to broaden the repertoire of mental tasks available for BCI control and to advance the development of more flexible, powerful, and user-centered BCI applications.