title: A cognitive brain-computer interface for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
abstract: Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are often based on the control of sensorimotor processes, yet sensorimotor processes are impaired in patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We devised a new paradigm that targets higher-level cognitive processes to transmit information from the user to the BCI. We instructed five ALS patients and twelve healthy subjects to either activate self-referential memories or to focus on a process without mnemonic content while recording a high-density electroencephalogram (EEG). Both tasks are designed to modulate activity in the default mode network (DMN) without involving sensorimotor pathways. We find that the two tasks can be distinguished after only one experimental session from the average of the combined bandpower modulations in the theta- (4-7Hz) and alpha-range (8-13Hz), with an average accuracy of 62.5% and 60.8% for healthy subjects and ALS patients, respectively. The spatial weights of the decoding algorithm show a preference for the parietal area, consistent with modulation of neural activity in primary nodes of the DMN.
authors: International Max Planck Research School for Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany. Electronic address: matthias.hohmann@tuebingen.mpg.de.
authors: M R
authors: MR
authors: Hohmann
authors: International Max Planck Research School for Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Fomina
authors: International Max Planck Research School for Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany.
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Jayaram
authors: Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Widmann
authors: Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Förster
authors: Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Just
authors: Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen, Germany.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Synofzik
authors: Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Schölkopf
authors: Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany.
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Schöls
authors: Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Grosse-Wentrup
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D000513:Alpha Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D062207:Brain-Computer Interfaces; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058765:Neurofeedback / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D013826:Theta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ALS; Brain–computer interface; Brain–machine interface; EEG; locked-in