Ning
Jiang
University
of
Waterloo
Non-invasive Brain Computer Interface (BCI) for Motor Function Rehabilitation: Putting Patients on the Driver’s Seat
Neurorehabilitation applications, such as those for motor function rehabilitation of stroke, Parkinson etc, aims to induce neuroplasticity by re-establish damaged sensory-motor control loop. In recently years, Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) has been investigated as a promising tool for these applications. This is because patients’ active volition can be incorporated into the rehabilitation process through BCI, as compared to conventional rehabilitation approach where patients are in a passive role. In this talk, I will discuss a series of studies that systematically addressed the following questions: 1) is it possible to detect the motor intention, such as dorsiflexion (lifting up toe), in real time when using non-invasive brain recordings, i.e. electroencephalogram (EEG); 2) Can a system, consisting of such non-invasive detections of motor intent and subsequently triggered peripheral stimulations, be used to induce cortical plasticity in healthy subjects; 3) what are the critical factors and parameters of such a system in inducing cortical plasticity; 4) how well does the system work in a cohort of chronic stroke patients who suffer from ‘drop-foot’ and no longer respond to regular rehabilitation therapy. Our preliminary results suggested that such a patient-centered rehabilitation approach will dramatically increase the efficiency of the rehabilitation program. Our ultimate goal is to develop a viable rehabilitation paradigm that is fully driven by the patients, and can be used outside conventional clinical environment.