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Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: August 1, 2017
Classification of contralateral and ipsilateral finger movements for electrocorticographic brain-computer interfaces
Reinhold Scherer1, Stavros P Zanos, Kai J Miller
1Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA.
Neurosurgical Focus
|July 3, 2009
Summary
Electrocorticography (ECoG) can distinguish between contralateral and ipsilateral finger movements from a single brain hemisphere. This finding advances brain-computer interfaces and neurorehabilitation, enabling control of ipsilateral movements after brain injury.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Electrocorticography (ECoG) provides a high signal-to-noise ratio for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) compared to electroencephalography (EEG) and avoids risks of intracortical implants.
- BCIs aim to restore function by decoding brain activity, with sensorimotor cortex signals being crucial for movement control.
Observation:
- ECoG signals from a single hemisphere can discriminate between contralateral and ipsilateral finger movements.
- Activation patterns for both movement types overlap significantly in the sensorimotor cortex of the recorded hemisphere.
- Ipsilateral movements elicited less pronounced ECoG activity than contralateral movements.
Findings:
- Single-trial classification accuracy of finger movements improved by selecting patient-specific high-frequency bands (>50 Hz) from ECoG signals.
- Discrimination of ipsilateral movements from a single hemisphere's ECoG is feasible, challenging previous assumptions.
Implications:
- This research has significant implications for neurorehabilitation, particularly for individuals with unilateral brain damage.
- It suggests the potential for restoring ipsilateral movement control by utilizing signals from the intact hemisphere.
- ECoG-based BCIs could offer novel therapeutic strategies for motor recovery.
