BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACES FOR COMMUNICATION AND CONTROL

Wadsworth Center, Menands NY

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) give their users communication and control channels that do not depend on the brain's normal neuromuscular output channels. In the last decade, the volume and pace of BCI research have grown rapidly. Facilitated and encouraged by new understanding of brain function, by the advent of powerful low-cost computers, and by growing appreciation of the needs and potentials of people with disabilities, this work concentrates on developing new communication and control technology for those with severe motor disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brainstem stroke, cerebral palsy, and spinal cord injury. Current BCIs use EEG activity or cortical single-unit activity to control cursor movement, select letters or icons, or operate a neuroprosthesis. BCI research is an inherently interdisciplinary effort, involving neuroscience, psychology, engineering, mathematics, computer science, and clinical rehabilitation. Progress requires the interaction of all these disciplines, there is no standard venue that brings them all together. In recognition of this need and of the recent explosive growth in BCI research, the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NIH) sponsored, and the Wadsworth Center organized, the First International BCI Meeting in 1999 at the Rensselaerville Institute near Albany N.Y. It brought together researchers from 24 American and foreign labs and from all the relevant disciplines. Foundation support allowed many graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to participate. The meeting resulted in 18 peer-reviewed papers in IEEE Transactions on Rehabilitation Engineering. Since that meeting and in large part due to the interdisciplinary interactions it fostered, BCI research has continued to grow rapidly. This proposal seeks core funding for the Second International BCI Meeting, to take place at the Rensselaerlerville Institute, June 12-16, 2002, three years after the last meeting. The first day will provide concise updates from each BCI lab. The next two will feature panel-led discussions of four crucial issues: (1) the advantages and disadvantages of different brain signals and signal analysis methods; (2) alternative methods for translating these signals into device commands; (3) applications of most value to users and user training; (4) standards for designing studies and for assessing and comparing their results. Evenings will offer posters and BCI demonstrations. Foundation support contingent on the success of this proposal will fund students and fellows. Proceedings will be published as peer-reviewed articles in a dedicated issue of IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering. This meeting should greatly encourage and facilitate continued BCI research and development.