UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Department of Pulmonary Diseases/Home Mechanical Ventilation, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2022 Nov;36(10-11):666-677. doi: 10.1177/15459683221125788. Epub 2022 Sep 20.
Implantable brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) promise to be a viable means to restore communication in individuals with locked-in syndrome (LIS). In 2016, we presented the world-first fully implantable BCI system that uses subdural electrocorticography electrodes to record brain signals and a subcutaneous amplifier to transmit the signals to the outside world, and that enabled an individual with LIS to communicate via a tablet computer by selecting icons in spelling software. For future clinical implementation of implantable communication-BCIs, however, much work is still needed, for example, to validate these systems in daily life settings with more participants, and to improve the speed of communication. We believe the design and execution of future studies on these and other topics may benefit from the experience we have gained. Therefore, based on relevant literature and our own experiences, we here provide an overview of procedures, as well as recommendations, for recruitment, screening, inclusion, imaging, hospital admission, implantation, training, and support of participants with LIS, for studies on daily life implementation of implantable communication-BCIs. With this article, we not only aim to inform the BCI community about important topics of concern, but also hope to contribute to improved methodological standardization of implantable BCI research.
植入式脑机接口 (BCI) 有望成为恢复闭锁综合征 (LIS) 患者交流能力的可行手段。2016 年,我们展示了全球首个完全可植入的 BCI 系统,该系统使用硬膜下皮层脑电图电极来记录大脑信号,并使用皮下放大器将信号传输到外部世界,使 LIS 患者能够通过平板电脑上的拼写软件来选择图标进行交流。然而,为了将植入式通信 BCI 应用于未来的临床,仍有许多工作要做,例如,需要更多的参与者在日常生活环境中验证这些系统,并提高通信速度。我们相信,未来关于这些和其他主题的研究的设计和实施可能会受益于我们所获得的经验。因此,我们基于相关文献和自己的经验,在此为植入式通信 BCI 日常生活应用研究中 LIS 患者的招募、筛选、纳入、成像、住院、植入、培训和支持提供程序概述和建议。通过本文,我们不仅旨在让 BCI 社区了解相关的重要问题,还希望为提高植入式 BCI 研究的方法学标准化做出贡献。