[Recent advances in rehabilitation technology: a review of the brain-computer interface].
Rev Neurol 2004;
39:447-50. [PMID:
15378459]
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND AIMS
In this work we review some of the options available in rehabilitation technology that are used to aid people with severe neuromuscular disorders, and which take electrophysiological activity as a source of biological signals with which to design interfaces.
DEVELOPMENT
A number of different researchers have generated a novel communication and control system that utilises the electrical activity of the brain as a signal that represents the messages or commands an individual sends to the outside world, without using the normal output pathways of the brain, such as peripheral nerves and muscles; instead, this is achieved through an artificial system that extracts, encodes and applies them, called a brain-computer interface (BCI). The electrophysiological activity for a BCI can be obtained by means of superficial or implanted electrodes, and may therefore be classified as invasive or non-invasive. Five types of brain signals have been explored for use with a BCI: visual evoked potentials, slow cortical potentials, cortical neuronal activity, beta and mu rhythms, and event-related potentials.
CONCLUSIONS
Thanks to recent improvements and developments in prototypes, this technology is sure to open up new possibilities of communication and control for the affected population; it also represents a valuable field of multidisciplinary research with numerous interesting applications in areas beyond the sphere of health care.
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