Validation of a brain-computer interface (BCI) system designed for patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC): Regular and sham testing with healthy participants

Abstract

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is increasingly used to research new methods to provide assessment and communication for patients diagnosed with a disorder of consciousness (DOC). As this technology advances, it could lead to tools that could support clinical diagnoses, provide communication to some persons who cannot otherwise communicate, and further impact families, friends, and carers. Hence, validation studies are needed to ensure that BCI systems that are intended for these patients operate as expected. This study aimed to validate different components of a hardware and software platform that is being used for research with patients with DOC called mind-BEAGLE. This real-time EEG system uses four different paradigms for assessment and communication. We assessed regular and sham conditions with healthy participants and report on the resulting EEG data and BCI performance results.