Bimodal EEG–fNIRS Dataset for Objective Auditory Assessment Using ASSR-like and Frequent–Rare Cortical Auditory Paradigms

Full description

Data description: This dataset contains simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recordings acquired from normal-hearing adults as part of a research study investigating multimodal neurophysiological responses to auditory stimulation. Participants underwent otoscopic examination and pure-tone air-conduction audiometric screening before data acquisition. The experimental protocol comprised two passive auditory paradigms and a resting-state condition. The first was an auditory steady-state response (ASSR)-like paradigm using simultaneous amplitude-modulated tones at carrier frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz across participant-specific Low, Medium, and High stimulus-intensity conditions. The second was a frequent–rare cortical auditory paradigm using 1- and 2-kHz tones presented in blocks with an 80:20 frequent-to-rare probability and subsequent reversal of stimulus probabilities. EEG and fNIRS were acquired simultaneously and synchronised using Lab Streaming Layer (LSL)-based event markers. The curated dataset contains data from 39 participants and has been de-identified and organised according to the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS). EEG recordings are provided in a BIDS-compatible electrophysiological format and fNIRS recordings in the Shared Near Infrared Spectroscopy Format (SNIRF), together with event information and supporting JSON/TSV metadata describing the experimental conditions and recordings. Variable definitions, event coding, units, channel information and acquisition metadata are documented within the corresponding BIDS sidecar files and dataset documentation.

Data collection time details: 3 July 2024 – 18 October 2025

Number of files/types: The PUBLIC_BIDS_DATASET folder contains 3,136 files recursively: 1,228 .json files, 995 .tsv files, 232 .snirf files, 226 .eeg files, 226 .vhdr files, 226 .vmrk files, two .png files, and one file without an extension (README). The top level contains 39 participant directories (sub-001 to sub-039), a sourcedata directory containing two files, and the root files dataset_description.json, participants.json, participants.tsv, and README.

Special software required to open files: No proprietary software is required. The dataset follows the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS). EEG recordings are provided in BrainVision-compatible format and fNIRS recordings in SNIRF format. The data can be accessed using standard BIDS- and SNIRF-compatible research software, including MNE-Python/MNE-BIDS and other compatible neuroimaging analysis packages. JSON and TSV metadata can be opened using standard text or tabular-data software.

Geographic information (if relevant): Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Keywords: EEG, fNIRS, auditory evoked responses, hearing assessment, auditory steady-state response, multimodal neuroimaging