First Steps Toward a Motor Imagery Based Stroke BCI: New Strategy to Set up a Classifier

A new approach in motor rehabilitation after stroke is to use motor imagery (MI). To give feedback on MI performance brain–computer interface (BCIs) can be used. This requires a fast and easy acquisition of a reliable classifier. Usually, for training a classifier, electroencephalogram (EEG) data of MI without feedback is used, but it would be advantageous if we could give feedback right from the beginning. The sensorimotor EEG changes of the motor cortex during active and passive movement (PM) and MI are similar. The aim of this study is to explore, whether it is possible to use EEG data from active or PM to set up a classifier for the detection of MI in a group of elderly persons. In addition, the activation patterns of the motor cortical areas of elderly persons were analyzed during different motor tasks. EEG was recorded from three Laplacian channels over the sensorimotor cortex in a sample of 19 healthy elderly volunteers. Participants performed three different tasks in consecutive order, passive, active hand movement, and hand MI. Classifiers were calculated with data of every task. These classifiers were then used to detect event-related desynchronization (ERD) in the MI data. ERD values, related to the different tasks, were calculated and analyzed statistically. The performance of classifiers calculated from passive and active hand movement data did not differ significantly regarding the classification accuracy for detecting MI. The EEG patterns of the motor cortical areas during the different tasks was similar to the patterns normally found in younger persons but more widespread regarding localization and frequency range of the ERD. In this study, we have shown that it is possible to use classifiers calculated with data from passive and active hand movement to detect MI. Hence, for working with stroke patients, a physiotherapy session could be used to obtain data for classifier set up and the BCI-rehabilitation training could start immediately

On How Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation While Using Information Technology:A Research Agenda for Robust Triangulation

Our minds tend to frequently drift away from present technology-related situations and tasks. Against this background, we seek to provide a better understanding of mind-wandering episodes while using information technology and its link to decisive variables of Information Systems research, such as performance, creativity and flow. Since the academic literature still lacks reliable and validated measurements that can fully account for all facets of mind-wandering episodes while using information technology, our work addresses this gap by presenting a way to triangulate data in the context of a digital insight problem-solving task. This new approach enables researchers to further investigate the effects of spontaneous thought in technology-related settings and is a promising building block for the development of neuroadaptive systems.</p

The hybrid Brain-Computer Interface: a bridge to assistive technology?

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) can be extended by other input signals to form a so-called hybrid BCI (hBCI). Such an hBCI allows the processing of several input signals with at least one brain signal for control purposes, i.e. communication and environmental control. This work shows the principle, technology and application of hBCIs and discusses future objectives

Entrainment of spontaneous cerebral hemodynamic oscillations to behavioral responses

Entrainment in physiological systems can be manifest in cases where phase-coupling (synchronization) between slow intrinsic oscillations and periodic motor responses, or vice versa, takes place. To test whether voluntary movement has something in common with entrainment of slow hemodynamic oscillations to motor responses, we studied blood pressure (BP), heart rate beat-to-beat intervals (RRI) and prefrontal (de)oxyhemoglobin (Hb/HbO2) during 5 min of rest, 10 min of self-paced, voluntary movements and 10 min of stimulus-paced movements at 10 s intervals in 9 subjects. Subjects were divided into 2 groups according to the timing of voluntary finger movements. It appeared that these movements occurred at relatively regular intervals of approximately 10 s in 5 subjects (group A); while 4 subjects showed random or very short inter-movement intervals (group B). Two remarkable results were obtained: first, the phase coupling (COH2) between BP and RRI showed a significant (p = 0.0061) interaction between activity (rest vs. movement) and group (A vs. B), with an increased (p = 0.0003) coupling in group A. Second, the COH2 between BP and Hb oscillations showed a significant (p = 0.034) interaction between activity and group, with a decreased (p = 0.079) coupling in group B. These results suggest that subjects able to initiate self-paced, voluntary movements at relatively regular intervals of ∼10 s show an entrainment potential between physiological oscillations and motor responses. This also provides the first evidence that not only physiological oscillations can be entrained to motor responses, but also motor responses (voluntary movements) can be entrained to slow intrinsic oscillations

On How Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation While Using Information Technology: A Research Agenda for Robust Triangulation

Our minds tend to frequently drift away from present technology-related situations and tasks. Against this background, we seek to provide a better understanding of mind-wandering episodes while using information technology and its link to decisive variables of Information Systems research, such as performance, creativity and flow. Since the academic literature still lacks reliable and validated measurements that can fully account for all facets of mind-wandering episodes while using information technology, our work addresses this gap by presenting a way to triangulate data in the context of a digital insight problem-solving task. This new approach enables researchers to further investigate the effects of spontaneous thought in technology-related settings and is a promising building block for the development of neuroadaptive systems