0000000000083899
AUTHOR
Woosang Cho
Complete locked-in and locked-in patients: Command following assessment and communication with vibro-tactile P300 and motor imagery brain-computer interface tools
Many patients with locked-in syndrome (LIS) or complete locked-in syndrome (CLIS) also need brain-computer interface (BCI) platforms that do not rely on visual stimuli and are easy to use. We investigate command following and communication functions of mindBEAGLE with 9 LIS, 3 CLIS patients and three healthy controls. This tests were done with vibro-tactile stimulation with 2 or 3 stimulators (VT2 and VT3 mode) and with motor imagery (MI) paradigms. In VT2 the stimulators are fixed on the left and right wrist and the participant has the task to count the stimuli on the target hand in order to elicit a P300 response. In VT3 mode an additional stimulator is placed as a distractor on the shoul…
Assessing Command-Following and Communication With Vibro-Tactile P300 Brain-Computer Interface Tools in Patients With Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome
Persons diagnosed with disorders of consciousness (DOC) typically suffer from motor disablities, and thus assessing their spared cognitive abilities can be difficult. Recent research from several groups has shown that non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) technology can provide assessments of these patients' cognitive function that can supplement information provided through conventional behavioral assessment methods. In rare cases, BCIs may provide a binary communication mechanism. Here, we present results from a vibrotactile BCI assessment aiming at detecting command-following and communication in 12 unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) patients. Two different paradigms were admi…
Effects of Repeating a Tactile Brain-Computer Interface on Patients with Disorder of Consciousness: A Hint of Recovery?
Brain-computer interface (BCI) has been emerging as an assessment tool for patients with disorder of consciousness (DOC). With the advantages of high time resolution, low cost and portable design, EEG based BCI systems are especially suitable for bedside measurement. Recent studies showed the successful application of an EEG based BCI on DOC assessment and communication. However, the effect of repeated BCI measurement on this patient group is not clear. In this study, a tactile BCI paradigm was repeated 12 runs for 10 consecutive days on 5 DOC patients. Although the BCI performance varied among runs and days, every patient reached at least once the accuracy above 60%. Moreover, the Coma Rec…
MindBEAGLE — A new system for the assessment and communication with patients with disorders of consciousness and complete locked-in syndrom
Patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) cannot reply to questions or clinical assessments using voluntary motor control, and therefore it is very difficult to assess their cognitive capabilities and conscious awareness. Patients who are locked-in (LIS) are instead fully conscious, and they can communicate with their preserved eye movements. However, when the residual oculomotor activity is also lost (e.g., patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease of very long duration), the locked-in status becomes complete (CLIS). In CLIS patients, detection of conscious awareness may become very challenging, similarly to the subjects with DOC. mindBEAGLE has a physiological testing batte…