Neurosurgical Research Network (NRN), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.
School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Neurosurg Rev. 2023 May 31;46(1):131. doi: 10.1007/s10143-023-02038-9.
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide the central nervous system with channels of direct communication to the outside world, without having to go through the peripheral nervous system. Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are notoriously incurable and burdensome medical conditions that will result in progressive deterioration of the nervous system. The applications of BCIs in NDs have been studied for decades now through different approaches, resulting in a considerable amount of literature in all related areas. In this study, we begin by introducing BCIs and proceed by explaining the principles of BCI-based neurorehabilitation. Then, we go through four specific types of NDs, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and spinal muscular atrophy, and review some of the applications of BCIs in the neural rehabilitation of these diseases. We conclude with a discussion of the characteristics, challenges, and future possibilities of research in the field. Going through the uses of BCIs in NDs, we can see that approaches and strategies employed to tackle the wide range of limitations caused by NDs are numerous and diverse. Furthermore, NDs can fall under different categories based on the target area of neurodegeneration and thus require different methods of BCI-based rehabilitation. In recent years, neurotechnology companies have substantially invested in research on BCIs, focusing on commercializing BCIs and bringing BCI-based technologies from bench to bedside. This can mean the beginning of a new era for BCI-based neurorehabilitation, with an anticipated spike in interest among researchers, practitioners, engineers, and entrepreneurs alike.
脑机接口 (BCI) 为中枢神经系统提供了与外界直接沟通的渠道，而无需通过外周神经系统。神经退行性疾病 (NDs) 是一种众所周知的无法治愈且负担沉重的疾病，会导致神经系统逐渐恶化。几十年来，人们通过不同的方法研究了 BCI 在 NDs 中的应用，在所有相关领域都产生了相当数量的文献。在本研究中，我们首先介绍 BCI，然后解释基于 BCI 的神经康复的原理。然后，我们研究了四种特定类型的 NDs，包括肌萎缩侧索硬化症、帕金森病、阿尔茨海默病和脊髓性肌萎缩症，并回顾了 BCI 在这些疾病的神经康复中的一些应用。最后，我们讨论了该领域研究的特点、挑战和未来可能性。通过研究 BCI 在 NDs 中的应用，我们可以看到，为解决 NDs 引起的广泛限制而采用的方法和策略是多种多样的。此外，根据神经退行性病变的目标区域，NDs 可以分为不同的类别，因此需要不同的基于 BCI 的康复方法。近年来，神经技术公司在 BCI 研究方面进行了大量投资，专注于将 BCI 商业化，并将基于 BCI 的技术从实验室推向临床。这可能意味着基于 BCI 的神经康复的新时代的开始，研究人员、从业者、工程师和企业家的兴趣预计都会大增。
