title: Movement-related cortical potentials in paraplegic patients: abnormal patterns and considerations for BCI-rehabilitation.
abstract: Non-invasive EEG-based Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) can be promising for the motor neuro-rehabilitation of paraplegic patients. However, this shall require detailed knowledge of the abnormalities in the EEG signatures of paraplegic patients. The association of abnormalities in different subgroups of patients and their relation to the sensorimotor integration are relevant for the design, implementation and use of BCI systems in patient populations. This study explores the patterns of abnormalities of movement related cortical potentials (MRCP) during motor imagery tasks of feet and right hand in patients with paraplegia (including the subgroups with/without central neuropathic pain (CNP) and complete/incomplete injury patients) and the level of distinctiveness of abnormalities in these groups using pattern classification. The most notable observed abnormalities were the amplified execution negativity and its slower rebound in the patient group. The potential underlying mechanisms behind these changes and other minor dissimilarities in patients' subgroups, as well as the relevance to BCI applications, are discussed. The findings are of interest from a neurological perspective as well as for BCI-assisted neuro-rehabilitation and therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurorehabilitation Engineering, University Medical Center Goettingen Goettingen, Germany ; Institute of Computer Science, Georg-August University Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ren
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurorehabilitation Engineering, University Medical Center Goettingen Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, University of Glasgow Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vuckovic
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, University of Glasgow Glasgow, UK ; Department of Biomedical Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasan
authors.affiliation: Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction, Aalborg University Aalborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mrachacz-Kersting
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injury Unit, Southern General Hospital Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Allan
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injury Unit, Southern General Hospital Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde Glasgow, UK ; Academic Unit of Neurology, Trinity College Dublin Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Bahman
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nasseroleslami
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Bernie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Conway
authors.affiliation: Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction, Aalborg University Aalborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dremstrup
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurorehabilitation Engineering, University Medical Center Goettingen Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Farina
keywords: BCI; EEG; central neuropathic pain; movement related cortical potentials; spinal cord injury