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Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: August 1, 2017
The mental prosthesis: assessing the speed of a P300-based brain-computer interface
E Donchin1, K M Spencer, R Wijesinghe
1Department of Psychology and Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 61820, USA.
IEEE Transactions on Rehabilitation Engineering : a Publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
|July 15, 2000
Summary
This study assessed a brain-computer interface (BCI) using the P300 event-related potential (ERP). The P300-based BCI demonstrated feasibility and practicality for communication in healthy individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- The P300 component of event-related potentials (ERPs) is elicited by rare stimuli in an oddball paradigm.
- Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) offer potential communication pathways for individuals with severe motor impairments.
- The Farwell and Donchin BCI system, developed in 1988, utilizes the P300 response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the performance and feasibility of a P300-based brain-computer interface (BCI).
- To evaluate the communication rate and accuracy of the BCI system.
- To determine the practicality of the P300-based BCI for real-time applications.
Main Methods:
- A 6x6 matrix BCI was employed, presenting letters within cells.
- Users focused attention on desired letters as rows and columns were sequentially intensified.
- The P300 ERP component was detected to identify the attended cell and transmitted character.
- A bootstrapping approach was used for offline assessment, followed by real-time performance evaluation.
Main Results:
- The offline version of the P300-based BCI achieved a communication rate of 7.8 characters per minute.
- An accuracy of 80% was reported for the offline BCI system.
- Real-time assessment indicated the system's practical viability.
Conclusions:
- P300-based brain-computer interfaces are feasible and practical communication tools.
- The assessed BCI system demonstrates potential for effective character communication.
- Further research is needed to validate these findings in non-healthy populations.
