Article

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effectiveness of neurorehabilitative training using an
electroencephalogram-based brain- computer interface for hand paralysis following
stroke. DESIGN: A case series study. SUBJECTS: Eight outpatients with chronic
stroke demonstrating moderate to severe hemiparesis. METHODS: Based on analysis
of volitionally decreased amplitudes of sensory motor rhythm during motor imagery
involving extending the affected fingers, real-time visual feedback was provided.
After successful motor imagery, a mechanical orthosis partially extended the
fingers. Brain-computer interface interventions were carried out once or twice a
week for a period of 4-7 months, and clinical and neurophysiological examinations
pre- and post-intervention were compared.
RESULTS: New voluntary
electromyographic activity was measured in the affected finger extensors in 4
cases who had little or no muscle activity before the training,
and the other
participants exhibited improvement in finger function. Significantly greater
suppression of the sensory motor rhythm over both hemispheres was observed during
motor imagery. Transcranial magnetic stimulation showed increased cortical
excitability in the damaged hemisphere. Success rates of brain-computer interface
training tended to increase as the session progressed in 4 cases. CONCLUSION:
Brain-computer interface training appears to have yielded some improvement in
motor function and brain plasticity. Further controlled research is needed to
clarify the role of the brain-computer interface system.

Langue : ANGLAIS