Probing consciousness in unresponsive wakefulness syndrome patients with a vibrotactile p300-based brain-computer interface (p5.032)
Conclusions:A vibrotactile P300-based BCI is a useful tool to improve the bedside diagnostic accuracy in UWS subjects. Further longitudinal studies might support a more widespread utilization of this non-invasive instrument to explore consciousness in the UWS population.Disclosure: Dr. Spataro has nothing to disclose. Dr. Heilinger has received personal compensation for activities with Medical Engineering GmbH as an employee. Dr. Cho has received personal compensation for activities with g.tec Medical Engineering GmbH as an employee. Dr. Marchese has nothing to disclose. Dr. De Cicco has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gregoretti...
Source: Neurology - April 17, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Spataro, R., Heilinger, A., Cho, W., Marchese, S., De Cicco, D., Gregoretti, C., Volanti, P., Guger, C., La Bella, V. Tags: Neurocritical Care: Coma/Mental Status Source Type: research
Long-Term Stable Control of Motor-Imagery BCI by a Locked-In User Through Adaptive Assistance
Performance variation is one of the main challenges that BCIs are confronted with, when being used over extended periods of time. Shared control techniques could partially cope with such a problem. In this paper, we propose a taxonomy of shared control approaches used for BCIs and we review some of the recent studies at the light of these approaches. We posit that the level of assistance provided to the BCI user should be adjusted in real time in order to enhance BCI reliability over time. This approach has not been extensively studied in the recent literature on BCIs. In addition, we investigate the effectiveness of provi...
Source: IEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering - April 1, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Music and natural sounds in an auditory steady-state response based brain –computer interface to increase user acceptance
Patients with total locked-in syndrome are conscious; however, they cannot express themselves because most of their voluntary muscles are paralyzed, and many of these patients have lost their eyesight. To improve the quality of life of these patients, there is an increasing need for communication-supporting technologies that leverage the remaining senses of the patient along with physiological signals. The auditory steady-state response (ASSR) is an electro-physiologic response to auditory stimulation that is amplitude-modulated by a specific frequency. (Source: Computers in Biology and Medicine)
Source: Computers in Biology and Medicine - March 17, 2017 Category: Bioinformatics Authors: Jeong Heo, Hyun Jae Baek, Seunghyeok Hong, Min Hye Chang, Jeong Su Lee, Kwang Suk Park Source Type: research
Locked-in Syndrome Due to Transtentorial Herniation and Kernohan Notch Phenomenon
No abstract available (Source: American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
Source: American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation - March 17, 2017 Category: Rehabilitation Tags: Visual Vignettes Source Type: research
“Should We Treat Vegetative and Minimally Conscious Patients as Persons?”
AbstractHow should we treat patients diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) or minimally conscious state (MCS)? More specifically, should we treat them as having the full moral status of persons? Yes, or so we argue. First, we introduce the medical conditions of PVS, MCS, and the related conditions of Locked-in Syndrome and covert awareness. Second, we characterize the main argument for thinking diagnosed PVS patients are not persons. Third, we contend that this argument is defeated by mounting empirical evidence for the considerable uncertainty of PVS diagnoses. Fourth, we characterize a new argument fo...
Source: Neuroethics - February 14, 2017 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research
Measures of metabolism and complexity in the brain of patients with disorders of consciousness
Conclusion We propose that jointly measuring the metabolic activity and the electrophysiological complexity of cortical circuits is a useful complement to the diagnosis and stratification of patients with disorders of consciousness. (Source: NeuroImage: Clinical)
Source: NeuroImage: Clinical - February 5, 2017 Category: Radiology Source Type: research
Real-Time “Eye-Writing” Recognition Using Electrooculogram
In this study, we developed a real-time electrooculogram (EOG)-based eye-writing recognition system, with which users can write predefined symbolic patterns with their volitional eye movements. For the “eye-writing” recognition, the proposed system first reconstructs the eye-written traces from EOG waveforms in real-time; then, the system recognizes the intended symbolic inputs with a reliable recognition rate by matching the input traces with the trained eye-written traces of diverse input patterns. Experiments with 20 participants showed an average recognition rate of 87.38% (F1 score) for 29 different symb...
Source: IEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering - December 31, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Central pontine and extrapontine myelinolysis
Publication date: December 2016 Source:Apollo Medicine, Volume 13, Issue 4 Author(s): Pushpendra N. Renjen, Dinesh Chaudhari, Vasanthi Namala Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) was described by Adams and colleagues in 1959 as a disease affecting alcoholics and the malnourished. Also known as osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS), PM (Pontine Myelinosis) is subdivided into central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) and extrapontine myelinolysis (EPM). Each is identified at the level of demyelination, either centered within the pons or outside the pons, respectively. Despite its relatively ambiguous pathogenesis, it is believed ...
Source: Apollo Medicine - December 16, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Source Type: research
Emerging Ethical Issues Related to the Use of Brain-Computer Interfaces for Patients with Total Locked-in Syndrome
AbstractNew brain-computer interface and neuroimaging techniques are making differentiation less ambiguous and more accurate between unresponsive wakefulness syndrome patients and patients with higher cognitive function and awareness. As research into these areas continues to progress, new ethical issues will face physicians of patients suffering from total locked-in syndrome (total LIS), characterized by complete loss of voluntary muscle control, with retention of cognitive function and awareness detectable only with neuroimaging and brain-computer interfaces. Physicians, researchers, ethicists and hospital ethics committ...
Source: Neuroethics - December 7, 2016 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research
Electromyographic decoding of response to command in disorders of consciousness
Conclusions:
This method allowed us to reliably distinguish between different levels of consciousness and could potentially help decrease diagnostic errors in patients with motor impairment but presenting residual motor activity. (Source: Neurology)
Source: Neurology - November 13, 2016 Category: Neurology Authors: Lesenfants, D., Habbal, D., Chatelle, C., Schnakers, C., Laureys, S., Noirhomme, Q. Tags: Clinical neurology examination, Coma, Brain trauma, EMG ARTICLE Source Type: research
Minimally Conscious State: Evolution of Concept, Diagnosis and Treatment.
This article discusses minimally conscious state based on a literature review and the author's clinical experience. A brief historical outline is given, starting from 1886 when Horsley analyzed level of consciousness. The article reviews criteria for defining minimally conscious state, as well as the differential diagnosis from persistent vegetative state, brain death, coma, locked-in syndrome and akinetic mutism. Modern discoveries of residual cognitive functioning and new neural correlates have contributed to increased knowledge of this condition. Regardless, minimally conscious state continues to be a challenge for neur...
Source: MEDICC Review - November 12, 2016 Category: Global & Universal Tags: MEDICC Rev Source Type: research
Toward an Attention-Based Diagnostic Tool for Patients With Locked-in Syndrome.
Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) has been proposed as a supplemental tool for reducing clinical misdiagnosis in severely brain-injured populations helping to distinguish conscious from unconscious patients. We studied the use of spectral entropy as a measure of focal attention in order to develop a motor-independent, portable, and objective diagnostic tool for patients with locked-in syndrome (LIS), answering the issues of accuracy and training requirement. Data from 20 healthy volunteers, 6 LIS patients, and 10 patients with a vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) were included....
Source: Clinical EEG and Neuroscience - November 6, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Lesenfants D, Habbal D, Chatelle C, Soddu A, Laureys S, Noirhomme Q Tags: Clin EEG Neurosci Source Type: research
Speaking Up to Save a Life.
Abstract
A nurse's advocacy alters the path of a patient with locked-in syndrome.
PMID: 27684781 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The American Journal of Nursing)
Source: The American Journal of Nursing - September 30, 2016 Category: Nursing Authors: Szulecki D Tags: Am J Nurs Source Type: research
Speaking Up to Save a Life
A nurse's advocacy alters the path of a patient with locked-in syndrome. (Source: AJN)
Source: AJN - September 30, 2016 Category: Nursing Tags: Profiles Source Type: research
