Brain Computer Interfaces for inclusion

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Χρήση διεπαφών εγκεφάλου-υπολογιστή στην αποκατάσταση επικοινωνίας ασθενών με Σύνδρομο Εγκλεισμού

H παρούσα συστηματική ανασκόπηση αφορά τη χρήση διεπαφών εγκεφάλου-υπολογιστή στην αποκατάσταση επικοινωνίας ασθενών με Σύνδρομο Εγκλεισμού. Συγκεκριμένα, εξετάζει τις μελέτες που πραγματοποιήθηκαν την τελευταία πενταετία με επεμβατικές/ημι-επεμβατικές αλλά και μη επεμβατικές διεπαφές στο σύνδρομο αυτό. Η μεγαλύτερη πρόκληση που είχαν να ξεπεράσουν οι μελέτες αυτές ήταν η επίτευξη αυτόνομης επικοινωνίας, ιδιαίτερα σε ασθενείς με Πλήρες Συνδρόμου Εγκλεισμού. Οι μελέτες έδειξαν θετικά αποτελέσματα στην πρόοδο της ανάπτυξης της τεχνολογίας αυτής, με τις μη επεμβατικές διεπαφές εγκεφάλου-υπολογιστή να χρησιμοποιούνται στην πλειοψηφία για την αποκατάσταση επικοινωνίας. Στο διάστημα της τελευταίας πενταετίας βρέθηκαν δεκαπέντε μελέτες που να αφορούν μη επεμβατικές διεπαφές εγκεφάλου-υπολογιστή και να ανταποκρίνονται στα κριτήρια ένταξης της συγκεκριμένης συστηματικής ανασκόπησης, ενώ μόνο δύο μελέτες που να αφορούν επεμβατικές/ημι-επεμβατικές διεπαφές εγκεφάλου-υπολογιστή. Υπήρξε εξέλιξη και στην αποτελεσματικότητα των διεπαφών εγκεφάλου-υπολογιστή στην επικοινωνία σε ασθενείς με Πλήρες Σύνδρομο Εγκλεισμού, λόγου χάρη η διεπαφή mindBEAGLE, η οποία πέτυχε για πρώτη φορά μεγαλύτερη ακρίβεια στην επικοινωνία σε μικρό χρονικό διάστημα. Πρόοδος υπήρξε και σε άλλα είδη μη επεμβατικών διεπαφών εγκεφάλου-υπολογιστή, όπως διεπαφές με βάση τα οπτικά προκλητά δυναμικά σταθερής κατάστασης, διεπαφή λειτουργικής φασματοσκοπίας εγγύς υπερύθρου και διεπαφή με βάση το ακουστικό ηλεκτροοφθαλμογράφημα. Δεδομένου, ότι ο συγκεκριμένος πληθυσμός στις έρευνες δεν ήταν πολύ μεγάλος ώστε να υπάρχουν τυχαιοποιημένες ελεγχόμενες μελέτες, τα αποτελέσματα πρέπει να επιβεβαιωθούν στο μέλλον με περαιτέρω μελέτες και μεγαλύτερο πληθυσμό.This systematic review addresses the use of brain-computer interfaces in the communication rehabilitation of patients with Locked-in Syndrome. Specifically, it examines the studies conducted in the last five years on invasive/semi-invasive and non-invasive interfaces in this syndrome. The most significant challenge that these studies had to overcome, was to achieve autonomous communication, especially in patients with Complete Locked-in Syndrome. Studies have shown progress of the development of this technology, with non-invasive interfaces being used in the majority for the communication rehabilitation. Fifteen studies, meeting the inclusion criteria of this systematic review, are about non-invasive brain-computer interfaces, while only two studies examine invasive/semi-invasive brain-computer interfaces. There has also been improvement in the effectiveness of brain-computer interfaces in communication in patients with Complete Locked-in Syndrome, for example the mindBEAGLE interface, which for the first time attained greater accuracy in communication in a short period of time. Other types of non-invasive brain-computer interfaces, such as brain-computer interfaces based on steady-state visual-evoked potentials, brain-computer interface based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy, and an auditory electrooculogram-based communication system, have also improved performance. Given that the specific population in the studies was not large enough to conduct randomized controlled trials, the results need to be confirmed in the future with further studies and a larger population

Toward brain-heart computer interfaces: A study on the classification of upper limb movements using multisystem directional estimates

Objective. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) exploit computational features from brain signals to perform a given task. Despite recent neurophysiology and clinical findings indicating the crucial role of functional interplay between brain and cardiovascular dynamics in locomotion, heartbeat information remains to be included in common BCI systems. In this study, we exploit the multidimensional features of directional and functional interplay between electroencephalographic and heartbeat spectra to classify upper limb movements into three classes. Approach. We gathered data from 26 healthy volunteers that performed 90 movements; the data were processed using a recently proposed framework for brain-heart interplay (BHI) assessment based on synthetic physiological data generation. Extracted BHI features were employed to classify, through sequential forward selection scheme and k-nearest neighbors algorithm, among resting state and three classes of movements according to the kind of interaction with objects. Main results. The results demonstrated that the proposed brain-heart computer interface (BHCI) system could distinguish between rest and movement classes automatically with an average 90% of accuracy. Significance. Further, this study provides neurophysiology insights indicating the crucial role of functional interplay originating at the cortical level onto the heart in the upper limb neural control. The inclusion of functional BHI insights might substantially improve the neuroscientific knowledge about motor control, and this may lead to advanced BHCI systems performances

BNCI systems as a potential assistive technology: ethical issues and participatory research in the BrainAble project

This paper highlights aspects related to current research and thinking about ethical issues in relation to Brain Computer Interface (BCI) and Brain-Neuronal Computer Interfaces (BNCI) research through the experience of one particular project, BrainAble, which is exploring and developing the potential of these technologies to enable people with complex disabilities to control computers. It describes how ethical practice has been developed both within the multidisciplinary research team and with participants. Results: The paper presents findings in which participants shared their views of the project prototypes, of the potential of BCI/BNCI systems as an assistive technology, and of their other possible applications. This draws attention to the importance of ethical practice in projects where high expectations of technologies, and representations of “ideal types” of disabled users may reinforce stereotypes or drown out participant “voices”. Conclusions: Ethical frameworks for research and development in emergent areas such as BCI/BNCI systems should be based on broad notions of a “duty of care” while being sufficiently flexible that researchers can adapt project procedures according to participant needs. They need to be frequently revisited, not only in the light of experience, but also to ensure they reflect new research findings and ever more complex and powerful technologies

The cost of space independence in P300-BCI spellers.

Background: Though non-invasive EEG-based Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) have been researched extensively over the last two decades, most designs require control of spatial attention and/or gaze on the part of the user. Methods: In healthy adults, we compared the offline performance of a space-independent P300-based BCI for spelling words using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP), to the well-known space-dependent Matrix P300 speller. Results: EEG classifiability with the RSVP speller was as good as with the Matrix speller. While the Matrix speller’s performance was significantly reliant on early, gaze-dependent Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs), the RSVP speller depended only on the space-independent P300b. However, there was a cost to true spatial independence: the RSVP speller was less efficient in terms of spelling speed. Conclusions: The advantage of space independence in the RSVP speller was concomitant with a marked reduction in spelling efficiency. Nevertheless, with key improvements to the RSVP design, truly space-independent BCIs could approach efficiencies on par with the Matrix speller. With sufficiently high letter spelling rates fused with predictive language modelling, they would be viable for potential applications with patients unable to direct overt visual gaze or covert attentional focus

Ethics and Design in the Brazilian Context

Often driven by practical and immediate requirements, more and more people are incorporating technology into a variety of aspects of their lives, often without reflecting on the consequences of using them. On the other hand, studies on interactive system development that lead to behavioral change have been gaining ground on the agenda of large HCI conferences. This movement brings to the forefront the fundamental issues of ethics in design and technology use. A designer’s intentions, when directing certain actions or behaviors, are not always explicit or desired by the stakeholders affected by the use of the technology. Systems that induce an undesired purchase, or even those that use conditioning strategies to cause a behavioral change are examples of such intentions. The challenge proposed is therefore about the relationship between design and personal freedom in a way that these technology users do not become victims, either passively or submissively, of the effects of its use. This advance allows for the redefinition of the relationship between man and technology, and the application of new forms of designing and developing interactive systems that take into account the ethical aspects of this relationship

The Strathclyde Brain Computer Interface (S-BCI) : the road to clinical translation

In this paper, we summarise the state of development of the Strathclyde Brain Computer Interface (S-BCI) and what has been so far achieved. We also briefly discuss our next steps for translation to spinal cord injured patients and the challenges we envisage in this process and how we plan to address some of them. Projections of the S-BCI project for the coming few years are also presented