Tripolar Concentric Ring Electrodes (TCREs) for Brain Computer Interface

University Of Rhode Island, Kingston RI

Investigators

Abstract

0933596 Besio Summary: Nearly two million people in the U.S., and many more worldwide, suffer from severe motor disabilities brought on by neuromuscular impairments, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), brainstem stroke, cerebral palsy, and spinal cord injury (SCI). A Brain Computer Interface (BCI) provides those persons who cannot use or have limited use of their muscles but are cognitively intact with an alternative for communication and control. Noninvasive electroencephalography (EEG) based BCIs have obvious clinical benefits over BCI systems that require surgeries for implantation, but they suffer from poor spatial resolution and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a critical drawback. The investigators seek to develop a new electrode technology - tripolar concentric ring electrodes (TCREs) - to significantly increase the spatial resolution, SNR, and consequently the communication transfer rate (bit rate) and decrease the training time of EEG based BCIs. Previous attempts to improve EEG based BCIs primarily depended on signal processing techniques without addressing the limitations of the disc electrode, resulting in at best suboptimal outcome. Instead, the investigators will focus on improving the electrode configuration, a new path, to improve EEG and consequently the performance of BCI. The motivation of this work is the superior characteristics of TCREs over disc electrodes, which are strongly supported by preliminary results. To achieve the research objective, experiments are proposed to systematically establish the benefits and practicality of TCREs for BCI through both computer modeling and tests on healthy and SCI persons. Through the university-clinical collaboration, the investigators will have access to a sufficient number of SCI patients and other potential end-users of the technology. The clinical collaboration provides a streamlined mechanism which will facilitate the translation of the research outcomes to practice. The proposed project also serves an education objective of recruiting and training a new generation of scientists from diverse backgrounds who are capable of interfacing between multiple scientific fields. Intellectual Merit: 1. By using unique TCREs rather than conventional disc electrodes, the investigator is taking an innovative approach to address the critical drawbacks of EEG based BCI. 2. For the first time, the effort will be focused on transforming the electrode design to enhance EEG and consequently the performance of BCI. 3. A critical clinical benefit of the approach taken is that it is noninvasive, substantially reducing the risks and costs associated with BCI systems that require surgical implantation. 4. The knowledge and technology resulting from the research itself will (a) significantly enhance the state of knowledge in the field of BCI and EEG; (b) above and beyond the field of BCI, provide a powerful tool for understanding brain activity and neural disorders in general; and (c) have extensive applicability in the broad space of technologies to aid persons with motor impairments. Broader Impacts: 1. This work will strengthen the infrastructure for research and education in 3 ways: (1) instituting collaboration across engineering fields and universities, (2) establishing clinical collaboration with VA medical center and a regional hospital, and (3) integrating K-8 education at a Native school. 2. The proposed work is highly interdisciplinary and bridges Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Neuroscience. The ability to recruit students from underrepresented groups is enhanced by this breadth. 3. Graduate and undergraduate students with disabilities and from underrepresented groups will work jointly and gain cutting edge research experience in both academic and clinical settings. 4. An outreach project with a local minority school will provide young minority students (3~8 grade) the opportunity to directly participate in research experiments. 5. Collaboration is established with "Students for a More Accessible Campus" (SFAMAC) to broaden the participation of students with disabilities and raise awareness for research to aid persons with disabilities in the community.