TY - JOUR
T1 - Towards unlocking motor control in spinal cord injured by applying an online EEG-based framework to decode motor intention, trajectory and error processing
AU - Mondini, Valeria
AU - Sburlea, Andreea Ioana
AU - Müller-Putz, Gernot R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can translate brain signals directly into commands for external devices. Electroencephalography (EEG)-based BCIs mostly rely on the classification of discrete mental states, leading to unintuitive control. The ERC-funded project "Feel Your Reach" aimed to establish a novel framework based on continuous decoding of hand/arm movement intention, for a more natural and intuitive control. Over the years, we investigated various aspects of natural control, however, the individual components had not yet been integrated. Here, we present a first implementation of the framework in a comprehensive online study, combining (i) goal-directed movement intention, (ii) trajectory decoding, and (iii) error processing in a unique closed-loop control paradigm. Testing involved twelve able-bodied volunteers, performing attempted movements, and one spinal cord injured (SCI) participant. Similar movement-related cortical potentials and error potentials to previous studies were revealed, and the attempted movement trajectories were overall reconstructed. Source analysis confirmed the involvement of sensorimotor and posterior parietal areas for goal-directed movement intention and trajectory decoding. The increased experiment complexity and duration led to a decreased performance than each single BCI. Nevertheless, the study contributes to understanding natural motor control, providing insights for more intuitive strategies for individuals with motor impairments.
AB - Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can translate brain signals directly into commands for external devices. Electroencephalography (EEG)-based BCIs mostly rely on the classification of discrete mental states, leading to unintuitive control. The ERC-funded project "Feel Your Reach" aimed to establish a novel framework based on continuous decoding of hand/arm movement intention, for a more natural and intuitive control. Over the years, we investigated various aspects of natural control, however, the individual components had not yet been integrated. Here, we present a first implementation of the framework in a comprehensive online study, combining (i) goal-directed movement intention, (ii) trajectory decoding, and (iii) error processing in a unique closed-loop control paradigm. Testing involved twelve able-bodied volunteers, performing attempted movements, and one spinal cord injured (SCI) participant. Similar movement-related cortical potentials and error potentials to previous studies were revealed, and the attempted movement trajectories were overall reconstructed. Source analysis confirmed the involvement of sensorimotor and posterior parietal areas for goal-directed movement intention and trajectory decoding. The increased experiment complexity and duration led to a decreased performance than each single BCI. Nevertheless, the study contributes to understanding natural motor control, providing insights for more intuitive strategies for individuals with motor impairments.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85186237184&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41598-024-55413-x
DO - 10.1038/s41598-024-55413-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 38413782
AN - SCOPUS:85186237184
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 14
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
IS - 1
M1 - 4714
ER -