Extraction of functional information from ongoing brain electrical activity

The modern analysis of multivariate electrical brain signals requires advanced statistical tools to automatically extract and quantify their information content. These tools include machine learning techniques and information theory. They are currently used both in basic neuroscience and challenging applications such as brain computer interfaces. We review here how these methods have been used at the Laboratoire d'Electroencephalographie Cl de Neurophysiologie Appliquee (LENA) to develop a general tool for the real time analysis of functional brain signals. We then give some perspectives on how these tools can help understanding the biological mechanisms of information processing. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.