[EEG-based communication--a new concept for rehabilitative support in patients with severe motor impairment].
This paper describes a paralyzed patient diagnosed with severe infantile cerebral palsy, trained over a period of several months to use an EEG-based brain-computer interface (BCI) for verbal communication. The patient learned to "produce" two distinct EEG patterns by mental imagery and to use this skill for BCI-controlled spelling. The EEG feedback training was conducted at a clinic for Assisted Communications, supervised from a distant laboratory with the help of a telemonitoring system. As a function of training sessions significant learning progress was found, resulting in an average accuracy level of 70% correct responses for letter selection. At present, "copy spelling" can be performed with a rate of approximately one letter per minute. The proposed communication device, the "Virtual Keyboard", may improve actual levels of communication ability in completely paralyzed patients. "Telemonitoring-assisted" training facilitates clinical application in a larger number of patients.
Neuper
C
C
Ludwig-Boltzmann Institut für Medizinische Informatik und Neuroinformatik, Technische Universität Graz.
Müller
G R
GR
Staiger-Sälzer
P
P
Skliris
D
D
Kübler
A
A
Birbaumer
N
N
Pfurtscheller
G
G
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D003199:Computer Systems; D016288:Computer Terminals; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004576:Electromyography / Q000295:instrumentation; D004585:Electrooculography / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D008838:Microcomputers; D009633:Nonverbal Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000295:instrumentation; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013686:Telemetry / Q000295:instrumentation; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology; D014584:User-Computer Interface