Article

The idea of using brain computer interfaces (BCI) for rehabilitation emerged
relatively recently. Basically, BCI for neurorehabilitation involves the
recording and decoding of local brain signals generated by the patient, as he/her
tries to perform a particular task (even if imperfect), or during a mental
imagery task. The main objective is to promote the recruitment of selected brain
areas involved and to facilitate neural plasticity. The recorded signal can be
used in several ways: (i) to objectify and strengthen motor imagery-based
training, by providing the patient feedback on the imagined motor task, for
example, in a virtual environment; (ii) to generate a desired motor task via
functional electrical stimulation or rehabilitative robotic orthoses attached to
the patient's limb - encouraging and optimizing task execution as well as
"closing" the disrupted sensorimotor loop by giving the patient the appropriate
sensory feedback; (iii) to understand cerebral reorganizations after lesion, in
order to influence or even quantify plasticity-induced changes in brain networks.
For example, applying cerebral stimulation to re-equilibrate inter-hemispheric
imbalance as shown by functional recording of brain activity during movement may
help recovery. Its potential usefulness for a patient population has been
demonstrated on various levels and its diverseness in interface applications
makes it adaptable to a large population. The position and status of these very
new rehabilitation systems should now be considered with respect to our current
and more or less validated traditional methods, as well as in the light of the
wide range of possible brain damage. The heterogeneity in post-damage expression
inevitably complicates the decoding of brain signals and thus their use in
pathological conditions, asking for controlled clinical trials.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Langue : ANGLAIS