Asynchronous BCIs for the early detection and classification of voluntary movements: Applications in stroke rehabilitation

Abstract

Stroke is a leading cause of permanent motor disability. At present, novel rehabilitation techniques focus on ways of promoting brain plasticity leading to functional rehabilitation of the patients. Among these techniques, the integration of Brain-Computer Interfaces in the rehabilitation process represents an encouraging area of active research. The measure of the brain signals during the execution of movements yields a relevant view of the motor-related amount of activity in specific areas of the brain. We expect that the combination of these brain signals with other sensors will lead to more natural interfaces between the patients and the rehabilitation devices, and to new means of tracking the patients’ involvement in the rehabilitation process. We present here preliminar results and future studies using Electroencephalography signals in a rehabilitation system for stroke survivors.