[Eeglablist] Question about reference placement for simultaneous EEG and EMG recording

[Komal Komal]

Hi EEGLAB community,

I hope you are all doing well.

I am planning to record EEG and EMG signals together using a BCI board. I
am a bit unsure about the reference electrode setup.

For EEG, I know the ground is often placed on the earlobe, and the
reference can either be one specific electrode or later re-referenced to an
average of all EEG channels. For EMG, however, the reference electrode is
usually placed over a bony area.

My question is: when recording EEG and EMG together, is it necessary to use
separate reference electrodes for each (one for EEG and one for EMG), or
can a single reference electrode be used for both modalities?
If a single reference channel could work, what would be the best placement
for it (e.g., on the head or on the arm)?

I would really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions on the best
practice for this setup.

Best regards,
Komal
Postgraduate researcher
Southeast Technological University, Waterford, Ireland