Brain-Machine Interfaces (BMI) in paralysis

Publication date: Available online 8 January 2015 Source:Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Author(s): U. Chaudhary , N. Birbaumer , M.R. Curado Introduction Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) use brain activity to control external devices, facilitating paralyzed patients to interact with the environment. In this review, we focus on the current advances of non-invasive BMIs for communication in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and for restoration of motor impairment after severe stroke. BMI for ALS patients BMI represents a promising strategy to establish communication with paralyzed ALS patients, as it does not need muscle engagement for its use. Distinct techniques have been explored to assess brain neurophysiology to control BMI for patients’ communication, especially electroencephalography (EEG) and more recently near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Previous studies demonstrated successful communication with ALS patients using EEG-BMI when patients still showed residual eye control, but patients with complete paralysis were unable to communicate with this system. We recently introduced functional NIRS (fNIRS)-BMI for communication in ALS patients in the complete locked-in syndrome (i.e., when ALS patients are unable to engage any muscle), opening new doors for communication in ALS patients after complete paralysis. BMI for stroke motor recovery In addition to assisted communication, BMI is also being extensively studied for motor recov...

Source: Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine - January 9, 2015 Category: Rehabilitation Source Type: research