System and method for interacting with human brain activities using EEG-fNIRS neurofeedback

An integrated electroencephalogram-functional near-infrared spectroscopy (EEG-fNIRS) neurofeedback system for reducing power consumption, the EEG-fNIRS neurofeedback system being for interacting with participant's brain activity and comprising:

• EEG electrodes configured to collect EEG signals;
• fNIRS detectors configured to collect fNIRS signals;
• at least one information receiver electrically coupled with the EEG electrodes and the fNIRS detectors and configured to receive and process the collected EEG and fNIRS signals from the EEG electrodes and the fNIRS detectors, respectively;
• a computation module electrically coupled with the information receiver and configured to execute an EEG and fNIRS signal processing pipeline with the EEG electrodes, the fNIRS detectors, and the information receiver, wherein the computation module is further configured to:
• calculate score information based on received EEG and fNIRS signals, comprising standardizing neurofeedback signals obtained from both of the EEG and fNIRS signals so as to obtain a first Z-score for EEG neurofeedback and a second Z-score for fNIRS neurofeedback, thereby normalizing the EEG and fNIRS signals to baseline and allowing for standardized comparisons within the participant, wherein a combination of the first Z-score and the second Z-score represents a unified metric that incorporates information from both of the EEG and fNIRS signals to facilitate an integration of information about electrical and hemodynamic brain activity;
• select a minimum score from the calculated score information of the first Z-score and the second Z-score for serving as a common target objective shared by both EEG and fNIRS signals, wherein both the EEG and fNIRS signals are processed in real time;
• and
• discard an alternative score of the first Z-score and the second Z-score that is not selected as the minimum score, so as to enable the computation module to choose a single representative score for the shared target objective from both EEG and fNIRS signals, thereby focusing solely on relevant data for analysis;
• a report generator electrically coupled with the computation module and configured to provide a report of the selection to the minimum score;
• and
• an interactive terminal with a screen electrically coupled with the computation module and configured to display images or videos via the screen thereof, enabling real-time interaction with an intrinsically rewarding stimulus for at least one participant, wherein the interactive terminal is further configured to display a video clip with animated geometric patterns via the screen thereof, and wherein the interactive terminal is further configured to display a video of hand and finger movements via the screen thereof and to determine and adjust a horizontal distance of the hand from the center of a screen according to the selected minimum score provided by the computation module.