Simultaneous and independent control of a brain-computer interface and contralateral limb movement

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Individuals with lateralized cortical stroke often face motor impairments.
• Current brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) may offer a solution, but their use in this population requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the same brain hemisphere controlling limb movement can simultaneously operate a BCI.
• To assess the feasibility of independent control of two tasks by a single hemisphere.

Main Methods:

• A non-human primate was trained on a simultaneous BCI and manual control task.
• Single neural units controlled a BCI cursor in one dimension.
• Contralateral isometric wrist torque controlled the cursor in a second dimension.

Main Results:

• The primate successfully modulated cortical units and wrist torque independently.
• Directionally tuned units showed less efficient BCI trajectories when decoupling was required.
• Neural activity from one hemisphere can be effectively decoupled for simultaneous BCI and limb control.

Conclusions:

• Neural signals from a single hemisphere can be independently controlled for simultaneous BCI and limb movement.
• This research suggests BCIs are a promising future therapeutic option for individuals with lateralized cortical stroke.