Abstract
Infrared thermal imaging of the inner canthi of the periorbital regions of the face can potentially serve as an input signal modality for an alternative access system for individuals with conditions that preclude speech or voluntary movement, such as total locked-in syndrome. However, it is unknown if the temperature of these regions is affected by the human startle response, as changes in the facial temperature of the periorbital regions manifested during the startle response could generate false positives in a thermography-based access system. This study presents an examination of the temperature characteristics of the periorbital regions of 11 able-bodied adult participants before and after a 102 dB auditory startle stimulus. The results indicate that the startle response has no substantial effect on the mean temperature of the periorbital regions. This indicates that thermography-based access solutions would be insensitive to startle reactions in their user, an important advantage over other modalities being considered in the context of access solutions for individuals with a severe motor disability.
Highlights
Locked-in syndrome (LIS) is a condition in which the mobility of an individual is severely limited, to the point of complete or near complete paralysis, but cognitive function and awareness are unaffected [1,2]
Summary statistics and entropy Group means of the summary statistics and entropy measure for all stimulus trials are given in Table 1, organized according to the levels of the fixed effect ANOVA factors
There were no significant differences (p$0.25) between the pre- and post-stimulus intervals or between the two regions for any of the statistical or entropy measures. These results suggest that the stimulus had no effect on the statistical distribution of the mean temperature data of the periorbital regions
Summary
Locked-in syndrome (LIS) is a condition in which the mobility of an individual is severely limited, to the point of complete or near complete paralysis, but cognitive function and awareness are unaffected [1,2]. Individuals with total LIS are unable to communicate or interact with their environment In these cases, alternative channels of communication can potentially be enabled by systems known as access technologies. There are currently no clinically available interventions for individuals with total LIS Most research in this area to date has focused on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). The results of research into these modalities have been encouraging, there are significant drawbacks In many cases, these systems require users to be trained to modulate their neurological activity so that the resulting signals can be reliably interpreted [6]. These systems require users to be trained to modulate their neurological activity so that the resulting signals can be reliably interpreted [6] Both EEG and NIRS require multiple sensors to be placed directly on the user, which can be time-consuming and can cause discomfort over long periods of wear. Consideration of other access modalities that avoid these challenges is worthwhile
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