MultiDiffNet: A Multi-Objective Diffusion Framework for Generalizable Brain Decoding

Meng-Chun Zhang, Kateryna Shapovalenko, Yucheng Shao, Yuzhi Guo, Parusha Pradhan

Keywords: Brain-Computer Interfaces, Neural Decoding, EEG, Diffusion Models, Representation Learning, Benchmarks, Cross-Subject Generalization, Interpretability

TL;DR: We introduce MultiDiffNet, a diffusion-based framework that generalizes to unseen subjects, supported by a new benchmark suite and evaluation protocol.

Abstract: Neural decoding from electroencephalography (EEG) remains fundamentally limited by poor generalization to unseen subjects, driven by high inter-subject variability and the lack of large-scale datasets to model it effectively. Existing methods often rely on synthetic subject generation or simplistic data augmentation, but these strategies fail to scale or generalize reliably. We introduce MultiDiffNet, a diffusion-based framework that bypasses generative augmentation entirely by learning a compact latent space optimized for multiple objectives. We decode directly from this space and achieve state-of-the-art generalization across various neural decoding tasks using subject and session disjoint evaluation. We also curate and release a unified benchmark suite spanning four EEG decoding tasks of increasing complexity (SSVEP, Motor Imagery, P300, and Imagined Speech) and an evaluation protocol that addresses inconsistent split practices in prior EEG research. Finally, we develop a statistical reporting framework tailored for low-trial EEG settings. Our work provides a reproducible and open-source foundation for subject-agnostic EEG decoding in real-world BCI systems.

Submission Number: 52