Improve Brain-computer Interfaces Performance Research Articles

Intentional binding for noninvasive BCI control.

Noninvasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow to interact with the external environment by naturally bypassing the musculoskeletal system.
Making BCIs efficient and accurate is paramount to improve the reliability of real-life and clinical applications, from open-loop device control to closed-loop neurorehabilitation. By promoting sense of agency and embodiment, realistic setups including multimodal channels of communication, such as eye-gaze, and robotic prostheses aim to improve BCI performance. However, how the mental imagery command should be integrated in those hybrid systems so as to ensure the best interaction is still poorly understood.
To address this question, we performed a hybrid EEG-based BCI training involving healthy volunteers enrolled in a reach-and-grasp action operated by a robotic arm. Main results showed that the hand grasping motor imagery timing significantly affects the BCI accuracy evolution as well as the spatiotemporal brain dynamics. Larger accuracy improvement was obtained when motor imagery is performed just after the robot reaching, as compared to before or during the movement. The proximity with the subsequent robot grasping favored intentional binding, led to stronger motor-related brain activity, and primed the ability of sensorimotor areas to integrate information from regions implicated in higher-order cognitive functions.
Taken together, these findings provided fresh evidence about the effects of intentional binding on human behavior and cortical network dynamics that can be exploited to design a new generation of efficient brain-machine interfaces.

Can vibrotactile stimulation and tDCS help inefficient BCI users?

Brain-computer interface (BCI) has helped people by allowing them to control a computer or machine through brain activity without actual body movement. Despite this advantage, BCI cannot be used widely because some people cannot achieve controllable performance. To solve this problem, researchers have proposed stimulation methods to modulate relevant brain activity to improve BCI performance. However, multiple studies have reported mixed results following stimulation, and the comparative study of different stimulation modalities has been overlooked. Accordingly, this study was designed to compare vibrotactile stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation’s (tDCS) effects on brain activity modulation and motor imagery BCI performance among inefficient BCI users. We recruited 44 subjects and divided them into sham, vibrotactile stimulation, and tDCS groups, and low performers were selected from each stimulation group. We found that the latter’s BCI performance in the vibrotactile stimulation group increased significantly by 9.13% (p < 0.01), and while the tDCS group subjects’ performance increased by 5.13%, it was not significant. In contrast, sham group subjects showed no increased performance. In addition to BCI performance, pre-stimulus alpha band power and the phase locking values (PLVs) averaged over sensory motor areas showed significant increases in low performers following stimulation in the vibrotactile stimulation and tDCS groups, while sham stimulation group subjects and high performers showed no significant stimulation effects across all groups. Our findings suggest that stimulation effects may differ depending upon BCI efficiency, and inefficient BCI users have greater plasticity than efficient BCI users.

Incorporating EEG and fNIRS Patterns to Evaluate Cortical Excitability and MI-BCI Performance during Motor Training.

As electroencephalography (EEG) is nonlinear and nonstationary in nature, an imperative challenge for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) is to construct a robust classifier that can survive for a long time and monitor the brain state stably. To this end, this research aims to improve BCI performance by incorporation of electroencephalographic and cerebral hemodynamic patterns. A motor imagery (MI)-BCI based visual-haptic neurofeedback training (NFT) experiment was designed with sixteen participants. EEG and functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals were simultaneously recorded before and after this transient NFT. Cortical activation was significantly improved after repeated and continuous NFT through time-frequency and topological analysis. A classifier calibration strategy, weighted EEG-fNIRS patterns (WENP), was proposed, in which elementary classifiers were constructed by using both the EEG and fNIRS information and then integrated into a strong classifier with their independent accuracy-based weight assessment. The results revealed that the classifier constructed on integrating EEG and fNIRS patterns was significantly superior to that only with independent information (~10% and ~18% improvement respectively), reaching ~89% in mean classification accuracy. The WENP is a classifier calibration strategy that can effectively improve the performance of the MI-BCI and could also be used to other BCI paradigms. These findings validate that our proposed methods are feasible and promising for optimizing conventional motor training methods and clinical rehabilitation.

Effects of Low Mental Energy from Long Periods of Work on Brain-Computer Interfaces.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide novel hands-free interaction strategies. However, the performance of BCIs is affected by the user’s mental energy to some extent. In this study, we aimed to analyze the combined effects of decreased mental energy and lack of sleep on BCI performance and how to reduce these effects. We defined the low-mental-energy (LME) condition as a combined condition of decreased mental energy and lack of sleep. We used a long period of work (>=18 h) to induce the LME condition, and then P300- and SSVEP-based BCI tasks were conducted in LME or normal conditions. Ten subjects were recruited in this study. Each subject participated in the LME- and normal-condition experiments within one week. For the P300-based BCI, we used two decoding algorithms: stepwise linear discriminant (SWLDA) and least square regression (LSR). For the SSVEP-based BCI, we used two decoding algorithms: canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and filter bank canonical correlation analysis (FBCCA). Accuracy and information transfer rate (ITR) were used as performance metrics. The experimental results showed that for the P300-based BCI, the average accuracy was reduced by approximately 35% (with a SWLDA classifier) and approximately 40% (with a LSR classifier); the average ITR was reduced by approximately 6 bits/min (with a SWLDA classifier) and approximately 7 bits/min (with an LSR classifier). For the SSVEP-based BCI, the average accuracy was reduced by approximately 40% (with a CCA classifier) and approximately 40% (with a FBCCA classifier); the average ITR was reduced by approximately 20 bits/min (with a CCA classifier) and approximately 19 bits/min (with a FBCCA classifier). Additionally, the amplitude and signal-to-noise ratio of the evoked electroencephalogram signals were lower in the LME condition, while the degree of fatigue and the task load of each subject were higher. Further experiments suggested that increasing stimulus size, flash duration, and flash number could improve BCI performance in LME conditions to some extent. Our experiments showed that the LME condition reduced BCI performance, the effects of LME on BCI did not rely on specific BCI types and specific decoding algorithms, and optimizing BCI parameters (e.g., stimulus size) can reduce these effects.

Defining Common Inter-Session and Inter-Subject EEG Channels Using Spatial Selection Method

Redundancy of information on brain signals can lead to reduce brain-computer interface (BCI) performance in applications. To overcome this, EEG channel selection is performed to reduce and/or eliminate a number of channels with irrelevant information. In the previous studies, there is energy calculation methods that have been proposed to perform EEG channel selection to improve BCI performance in classifying the brain command of motor imagery stimulation. In this study, channel selection scheme on motor movement signal will be experimented by using spatial selection method. This study performs the common active channel mechanism that divided into two parts: 1) common active channels between sessions, which known as common Inter-session channels and common active channels. These two techniques can be used by all subjects to interpret motor movement type known as common Inter-subject channels. In order to validate the performance of the proposed framework, CSP (common spatial pattern) is used as a feature extraction method and k-NN with k = 3 as the classification method. The obtained results shows that the proposed channel selection technique is able to choose common active channels in five combination numbers on Inter-sessions and Inter-subjects of the acquired EEG signals. Both types of common active channels are proven to improve BCI performance with an accuracy increase of up to 66%.

Multi-Armed Bandits in Brain-Computer Interfaces.

The multi-armed bandit (MAB) problem models a decision-maker that optimizes its actions based on current and acquired new knowledge to maximize its reward. This type of online decision is prominent in many procedures of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and MAB has previously been used to investigate, e.g., what mental commands to use to optimize BCI performance. However, MAB optimization in the context of BCI is still relatively unexplored, even though it has the potential to improve BCI performance during both calibration and real-time implementation. Therefore, this review aims to further describe the fruitful area of MABs to the BCI community. The review includes a background on MAB problems and standard solution methods, and interpretations related to BCI systems. Moreover, it includes state-of-the-art concepts of MAB in BCI and suggestions for future research.

Novel Hybrid Brain-Computer Interface for Virtual Reality Applications Using Steady-State Visual-Evoked Potential-Based Brain-Computer Interface and Electrooculogram-Based Eye Tracking for Increased Information Transfer Rate.

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) based on electroencephalogram (EEG) have recently attracted increasing attention in virtual reality (VR) applications as a promising tool for controlling virtual objects or generating commands in a “hands-free” manner. Video-oculography (VOG) has been frequently used as a tool to improve BCI performance by identifying the gaze location on the screen, however, current VOG devices are generally too expensive to be embedded in practical low-cost VR head-mounted display (HMD) systems. In this study, we proposed a novel calibration-free hybrid BCI system combining steady-state visual-evoked potential (SSVEP)-based BCI and electrooculogram (EOG)-based eye tracking to increase the information transfer rate (ITR) of a nine-target SSVEP-based BCI in VR environment. Experiments were repeated on three different frequency configurations of pattern-reversal checkerboard stimuli arranged in a 3 × 3 matrix. When a user was staring at one of the nine visual stimuli, the column containing the target stimulus was first identified based on the user’s horizontal eye movement direction (left, middle, or right) classified using horizontal EOG recorded from a pair of electrodes that can be readily incorporated with any existing VR-HMD systems. Note that the EOG can be recorded using the same amplifier for recording SSVEP, unlike the VOG system. Then, the target visual stimulus was identified among the three visual stimuli vertically arranged in the selected column using the extension of multivariate synchronization index (EMSI) algorithm, one of the widely used SSVEP detection algorithms. In our experiments with 20 participants wearing a commercial VR-HMD system, it was shown that both the accuracy and ITR of the proposed hybrid BCI were significantly increased compared to those of the traditional SSVEP-based BCI in VR environment.

Brain-computer interface with rapid serial multimodal presentation using artificial facial images and voice.

Electroencephalography (EEG) signals elicited by multimodal stimuli can drive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), and research has demonstrated that visual and auditory stimuli can be employed simultaneously to improve BCI performance. However, no studies have investigated the effect of multimodal stimuli in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) BCIs. The present study proposed a rapid serial multimodal presentation (RSMP) BCI that incorporates artificial facial images and artificial voice stimuli. To clarify the effect of audiovisual stimuli on the RSMP BCI, scrambled images and masked sounds were applied instead of visual and auditory stimuli, respectively. The findings indicated that the audiovisual stimuli improved performance of the RSMP BCI, and that P300 at Pz contributed to classification accuracy. Online accuracy of the BCI reached 85.7±11.5%. Taken together, these findings may aid in the development of better gaze-independent BCI systems.

Neurofeedback Training of the Control Network in Children Improves Brain Computer Interface Performance

In the past 20 years, neural engineering has made unprecedented progress in the interpretation of brain information (e.g., brain-computer interfaces) and in neuromodulation (e.g., electromagnetic stimulation and neurofeedback). However, there has been little research aiming to improve the performance of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) using neuromodulation. The present study presents a novel design for a neurofeedback training (NFT) method to improve the operation of a steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)-based BCI and further explores its underlying mechanisms. The use of NFT to upregulate alpha-band power in the user’s parietal lobe is presented in this study as a new neuromodulation method to improve SSVEP-based BCI in this study. After users completed this NFT intervention, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), accuracy, and information transfer rate (ITR) of the SSVEP-based BCI were increased by 5.8%, 4.7%, and 15.6%, respectively. However, no improvement was observed in the control group in which the subjects did not participate in NFT. Moreover, a general reinforcement of the information flow from the parietal lobe to the occipital lobe was observed. Evidence from a network analysis and an attention test further indicates that NFT improves attention by developing the control capacity of the parietal lobe and then enhances the above SSVEP indicators. Upregulating the amplitude of parietal alpha oscillations using NFT significantly improves the SSVEP-based BCI performance by modulating the control network. The study validates an effective neuromodulation method and possibly contributes to explaining the function of the parietal lobe in the control network.

Frontolimbic alpha activity tracks intentional rest BCI control improvement through mindfulness meditation

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) are capable of translating human intentions into signals controlling an external device to assist patients with severe neuromuscular disorders. Prior work has demonstrated that participants with mindfulness meditation experience evince improved BCI performance, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we conducted a large-scale longitudinal intervention study by training participants in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; a standardized mind–body awareness training intervention), and investigated whether and how short-term MBSR affected sensorimotor rhythm (SMR)-based BCI performance. We hypothesize that MBSR training improves BCI performance by reducing mind wandering and enhancing self-awareness during the intentional rest BCI control, which would mainly be reflected by modulations of default-mode network and limbic network activity. We found that MBSR training significantly improved BCI performance compared to controls and these behavioral enhancements were accompanied by increased frontolimbic alpha activity (9–15 Hz) and decreased alpha connectivity among limbic network, frontoparietal network, and default-mode network. Furthermore, the modulations of frontolimbic alpha activity were positively correlated with the duration of meditation experience and the extent of BCI performance improvement. Overall, these data suggest that mindfulness allows participant to reach a state where they can modulate frontolimbic alpha power and improve BCI performance for SMR-based BCI control.

Investigating Neural Representation of Finger-Movement Directions Using Electroencephalography Independent Components

There are few EEG studies on finger movement directions because ocular artifacts also convey directional information, which makes it hard to separate the contribution of EEG from that of the ocular artifacts. To overcome this issue, we designed an experiment in which EEG’s temporal dynamics and spatial information are evaluated together to improve the performance of brain-computer interface (BCI) for classifying finger movement directions. Six volunteers participated in the study. We examined their EEG using decoding analyses. Independent components (ICs) that represented brain-source signals successfully classified the directions of the finger movements with higher rates than chance level. The weight analyses of the classifiers revealed that maximal performance of the classification was recorded at the latencies prior to the onset of finger movements. The weight analyses also revealed the relevant cortical areas including the right lingual, left posterior cingulate, left inferior temporal gyrus, and right precuneus, which indicated the involvement of the visuospatial processing. We concluded that combining spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of the scalp EEG may improve BCI performance.

Improvement of P300-Based Brain–Computer Interfaces for Home Appliances Control by Data Balancing Techniques

The oddball paradigm used in P300-based brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) intrinsically poses the issue of data imbalance between target stimuli and nontarget stimuli. Data imbalance can cause overfitting problems and, consequently, poor classification performance. The purpose of this study is to improve BCI performance by solving this data imbalance problem with sampling techniques. The sampling techniques were applied to BCI data in 15 subjects controlling a door lock, 15 subjects an electric light, and 14 subjects a Bluetooth speaker. We explored two categories of sampling techniques: oversampling and undersampling. Oversampling techniques, including random oversampling, synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE), borderline-SMOTE, support vector machine (SVM) SMOTE, and adaptive synthetic sampling, were used to increase the number of samples for the class of target stimuli. Undersampling techniques, including random undersampling, neighborhood cleaning rule, Tomek’s links, and weighted undersampling bagging, were used to reduce the class size of nontarget stimuli. The over- or undersampled data were classified by an SVM classifier. Overall, some oversampling techniques improved BCI performance while undersampling techniques often degraded performance. Particularly, using borderline-SMOTE yielded the highest accuracy (87.27%) and information transfer rate (8.82 bpm) across all three appliances. Moreover, borderline-SMOTE led to performance improvement, especially for poor performers. A further analysis showed that borderline-SMOTE improved SVM by generating more support vectors within the target class and enlarging margins. However, there was no difference in the accuracy between borderline-SMOTE and the method of applying the weighted regularization parameter of the SVM. Our results suggest that although oversampling improves performance of P300-based BCIs, it is not just the effect of the oversampling techniques, but rather the effect of solving the data imbalance problem.

Generative Adversarial Networks-Based Data Augmentation for Brain-Computer Interface.

The performance of a classifier in a brain-computer interface (BCI) system is highly dependent on the quality and quantity of training data. Typically, the training data are collected in a laboratory where the users perform tasks in a controlled environment. However, users' attention may be diverted in real-life BCI applications and this may decrease the performance of the classifier. To improve the robustness of the classifier, additional data can be acquired in such conditions, but it is not practical to record electroencephalogram (EEG) data over several long calibration sessions. A potentially time- and cost-efficient solution is artificial data generation. Hence, in this study, we proposed a framework based on the deep convolutional generative adversarial networks (DCGANs) for generating artificial EEG to augment the training set in order to improve the performance of a BCI classifier. To make a comparative investigation, we designed a motor task experiment with diverted and focused attention conditions. We used an end-to-end deep convolutional neural network for classification between movement intention and rest using the data from 14 subjects. The results from the leave-one subject-out (LOO) classification yielded baseline accuracies of 73.04% for diverted attention and 80.09% for focused attention without data augmentation. Using the proposed DCGANs-based framework for augmentation, the results yielded a significant improvement of 7.32% for diverted attention ( ) and 5.45% for focused attention ( ). In addition, we implemented the method on the data set IVa from BCI competition III to distinguish different motor imagery tasks. The proposed method increased the accuracy by 3.57% ( ). This study shows that using GANs for EEG augmentation can significantly improve BCI performance, especially in real-life applications, whereby users' attention may be diverted.

The Effect of the Graphic Structures of Humanoid Robot on N200 and P300 Potentials.

Humanoid robots are widely used in brain computer interface (BCI). Using a humanoid robot stimulus could increase the amplitude of event-related potentials (ERPs), which improves BCI performance. Since a humanoid robot contains many human elements, the element that increases the ERPs amplitude is unclear, and how to test the effect of it on the brain is a problem. This study used different graphic structures of an NAO humanoid robot to design three types of robot stimuli: a global robot, its local information, and its topological action. Ten subjects first conducted an odd-ball-based BCI (OD-BCI) by applying these stimuli. Then, they accomplished a delayed matching-to-sample task (DMST) that was used to specialize the encoding and retrieval phases of the OD-BCI task. In the retrieval phase of the DMST, the global stimulus induces the largest N200 and P300 potentials with the shortest latencies in the frontal, central, and occipital areas. This finding is in accordance with the P300 and classification performance of the OD-BCI task. When induced by the local stimulus, the subjects responded faster and more accurately in the retrieval phase of the DMST than in the other two conditions, indicating that the local stimulus improved the subject's responses. These results indicate that the OD-BCI task causes subject's retrieval work when the subject recognizes and outputs the stimulus. The global stimulus that contains topological and local elements could make brain react faster and induce larger ERPs, this finding could be used during the development of visual stimuli to improve BCI performance.

Improving EEG-based error detection using relative peak features.

A brain-computer interface (BCI) potentially enables a severely disabled person to communicate using brain signals. Automatic detection of error-related potentials (ErrPs) in electroencephalograph (EEG) could improve BCI performance by allowing to correct the erroneous action made by the machine. However, the current low accuracy in detecting ErrPs, particularly in some users, can reduce its potential benefits. The paper addresses this problem by proposing a novel relative peak feature (RPF) selection method to improve performance and accuracy for recognising an ErrP in the EEG. Using data collected from 29 participants with a mean age of 24.14 years the relative peak features yielded an average across all classifiers of 81.63% accuracy in detecting the erroneous events and an average 78.87 % accuracy in detecting the correct events, using KNN, SVM and LDA classifiers. In comparison to the temporal feature selection, there was a gain in performance in all classifiers of 17.85% for error accuracy and a reduction of -6.16% for correct accuracy Specifically; our proposed RPF used significantly reduced the number of features by 91.7% when compared with the state of the art temporal features.In the future, this work will improve the human-robot interaction by improving the accuracy of detecting errors that enable the BCI to correct any mistakes.

Alpha Frequency Intervention by Electrical Stimulation to Improve Performance in Mu-Based BCI.

The accuracy of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) is important for effective communication and control. The mu-based BCI is one of the most widely used systems, of which the related methods to improve users' accuracy are still poorly studied, especially for the BCI illiteracy. Here, we examined a way to enhance mu-based BCI performance by electrically stimulating the ulnar nerve of the contralateral wrist at the alpha frequency (10 Hz) during left- and right-hand motor imagination in two BCI groups (literate and illiterate). We demonstrate that this alpha frequency intervention enhances the classification accuracy between left- and right-hand motor imagery from 66.41% to 81.57% immediately after intervention and to 75.28% two days after intervention in the BCI illiteracy group, while classification accuracy improves from 82.12% to 91.84% immediately after intervention and to 89.03% two days after intervention in the BCI literacy group. However, the classification accuracy did not change before and after the sham intervention (no electrical stimulation). Furthermore, the ERD on the primary sensorimotor cortex during left- or right-hand motor imagery tasks was more visible at the mu-rhythm (8-13 Hz) after alpha frequency intervention. Alpha frequency intervention increases the mu-rhythm power difference between left- and right-hand motor imagery tasks. These results provide evidence that alpha frequency intervention is an effective way to improve BCI performance by regulating the mu-rhythm which might provide a way to reduce BCI illiteracy.

Emotion Recognition Based on Framework of BADEBA-SVM

Brain-computer interface (BCI) provides a new communication channel between human brain and computer. In order to eliminate uncorrelated channels to improve BCI performance and enhance user convenience with fewer channels, this paper proposes a new framework using binary adaptive differential evolution bat algorithm (BADEBA). The framework uses the important ideas of differential evolution algorithm and bat algorithm to select electroencephalograph (EEG) channels and intelligently optimizes the parameters of support vector machine (SVM). It combines wavelet packet transform (WPT) and common space pattern (CSP) to achieve the goal of using fewer channels to obtain the best classification accuracy. The proposed framework is evaluated with a common data set (DEAP). The results show that, compared with genetic algorithm (GA), binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO) and bat algorithm, the proposed BADEBA in this framework only uses eight channels to improve the classification accuracy by 13.63% in the valence dimension and seven channels to improve the classification accuracy by 15.22% in the arousal dimension. In addition, the spatial distribution of the best channels selected by this method is consistent with the existing knowledge of brain structure and neurophysiology, which shows the accuracy and validity of this method.

Exploiting error-related potentials in cognitive task based BCI

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can make mistakes in recognizing user intention. It has been well-established that for reactive and motor imagery (MI) BCIs, an error-related potential (ErrP) occurs subsequent to such mistakes, and can be used to improve BCI performance. However, the presence of ErrPs in active BCIs based on non-MI cognitive tasks has not been confirmed. In this study, we attempted to elicit ErrPs in a BCI based on non-MI mental tasks. Twelve typically developed young adults participated in two sessions each. Participants performed multiple iterations of five different mental tasks (mental arithmetic, counting, word generation, figure rotation and idle state) to ‘knock down’ one of 4 targets on a graphical interface (each mental task was associated with a different target). To simulate errors, a random subset of 20% of the trials were followed by incorrect feedback (i.e., the wrong target fell). Our findings confirmed the presence of an interaction ErrP, with a negative peak at ∼180 ms, followed by two positive peaks, respectively, at ∼400 and ∼630 ms post-feedback onset. The classification of mental tasks and error versus non-error trials were both performed using a pseudo-online paradigm where the last quarter of trials were used for testing. For binary (task and idle) and ternary (2 tasks and idle) classification, across-participant average accuracies of 76% ± 12 and 63%±12, respectively, were attained. An average area under curve (AUC) of 0.83 was reached across participants for the detection of ErrPs. After applying ErrP-based error correction, the average binary and ternary classification accuracies of mental tasks improved by 9% and 14%, respectively. Our findings support the addition of ErrP detection and ErrP-informed correction to maximize the accuracy of BCIs based on cognitive tasks.

Effect of a combination of flip and zooming stimuli on the performance of a visual brain-computer interface for spelling.

Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems can allow their users to communicate with the external world by recognizing intention directly from their brain activity without the assistance of the peripheral motor nervous system. The P300-speller is one of the most widely used visual BCI applications. In previous studies, a flip stimulus (rotating the background area of the character) that was based on apparent motion, suffered from less refractory effects. However, its performance was not improved significantly. In addition, a presentation paradigm that used a "zooming" action (changing the size of the symbol) has been shown to evoke relatively higher P300 amplitudes and obtain a better BCI performance. To extend this method of stimuli presentation within a BCI and, consequently, to improve BCI performance, we present a new paradigm combining both the flip stimulus with a zooming action. This new presentation modality allowed BCI users to focus their attention more easily. We investigated whether such an action could combine the advantages of both types of stimuli presentation to bring a significant improvement in performance compared to the conventional flip stimulus. The experimental results showed that the proposed paradigm could obtain significantly higher classification accuracies and bit rates than the conventional flip paradigm (p<0.01).

Motor cortical activity changes during neuroprosthetic-controlled object interaction

Brain-computer interface (BCI) controlled prosthetic arms are being developed to restore function to people with upper-limb paralysis. This work provides an opportunity to analyze human cortical activity during complex tasks. Previously we observed that BCI control became more difficult during interactions with objects, although we did not quantify the neural origins of this phenomena. Here, we investigated how motor cortical activity changed in the presence of an object independently of the kinematics that were being generated using intracortical recordings from two people with tetraplegia. After identifying a population-wide increase in neural firing rates that corresponded with the hand being near an object, we developed an online scaling feature in the BCI system that operated without knowledge of the task. Online scaling increased the ability of two subjects to control the robotic arm when reaching to grasp and transport objects. This work suggests that neural representations of the environment, in this case the presence of an object, are strongly and consistently represented in motor cortex but can be accounted for to improve BCI performance.