@article {4567, title = {IpsiHand Brain-Computer Interface Therapy Induces Broad Upper Extremity Motor Rehabilitation in Chronic Stroke.}, journal = {Neurorehabil Neural Repair}, volume = {39}, year = {2025}, month = {2025 Jan}, pages = {74-86}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Chronic hemiparetic stroke patients have very limited benefits from current therapies. Brain-computer interface (BCI) engaging the unaffected hemisphere has emerged as a promising novel therapeutic approach for chronic stroke rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effectiveness of contralesionally-controlled BCI therapy in chronic stroke patients with impaired upper extremity motor function. We further explored neurophysiological features of motor recovery driven by BCI. We hypothesized that BCI therapy would induce a broad motor recovery in the upper extremity, and there would be corresponding changes in baseline theta and gamma oscillations, which have been shown to be associated with motor recovery.

METHODS: Twenty-six prospectively enrolled chronic hemiparetic stroke patients performed a therapeutic BCI task for 12 weeks. Motor function assessment data and resting state electroencephalogram signals were acquired before initiating BCI therapy and across BCI therapy sessions. The Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer assessment served as a primary motor outcome assessment tool. Theta-gamma cross-frequency coupling (CFC) was computed and correlated with motor recovery.

RESULTS: Chronic stroke patients achieved significant motor improvement in both proximal and distal upper extremity with BCI therapy. Motor function improvement was independent of Botox application. Theta-gamma CFC enhanced bilaterally over the C3/C4 motor electrodes and positively correlated with motor recovery across BCI therapy sessions.

CONCLUSIONS: BCI therapy resulted in significant motor function improvement across the proximal and distal upper extremities of patients, which significantly correlated with theta-gamma CFC increases in the motor regions. This may represent rhythm-specific cortical oscillatory mechanism for BCI-driven rehabilitation in chronic stroke patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Advarra Study: https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04338971 and Washington University Study: https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03611855.

}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, brain-computer interfaces, Chronic Disease, Electroencephalography, Female, Gamma Rhythm, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Motor Activity, Paresis, Prospective Studies, Recovery of Function, Stroke, Stroke Rehabilitation, Theta Rhythm, Upper Extremity}, issn = {1552-6844}, doi = {10.1177/15459683241287731}, author = {Rustamov, Nabi and Souders, Lauren and Sheehan, Lauren and Carter, Alexandre and Leuthardt, Eric C} } @article {4583, title = {A novel theta-controlled vibrotactile brain-computer interface to treat chronic pain: a pilot study.}, journal = {Sci Rep}, volume = {14}, year = {2024}, month = {2024 Feb 10}, pages = {3433}, abstract = {

Limitations in chronic pain therapies necessitate novel interventions that are effective, accessible, and safe. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide a promising modality for targeting neuropathology underlying chronic pain by converting recorded neural activity into perceivable outputs. Recent evidence suggests that increased frontal theta power (4-7~Hz) reflects pain relief from chronic and acute pain. Further studies have suggested that vibrotactile stimulation decreases pain intensity in experimental and clinical models. This longitudinal, non-randomized, open-label pilot study{\textquoteright}s objective was to reinforce frontal theta activity in six patients with chronic upper extremity pain using a novel vibrotactile neurofeedback BCI system. Patients increased their BCI performance, reflecting thought-driven control of neurofeedback, and showed a significant decrease in pain severity (1.29 {\textpm} 0.25 MAD, p = 0.03, q = 0.05) and pain interference (1.79 {\textpm} 1.10 MAD p = 0.03, q = 0.05) scores without any adverse events. Pain relief significantly correlated with frontal theta modulation. These findings highlight the potential of BCI-mediated cortico-sensory coupling of frontal theta with vibrotactile stimulation for alleviating chronic pain.

}, keywords = {brain-computer interfaces, Chronic Pain, Electroencephalography, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Neurofeedback, Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Pilot Projects}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-024-53261-3}, author = {Demarest, Phillip and Rustamov, Nabi and Swift, James and Xie, Tao and Adamek, Markus and Cho, Hohyun and Wilson, Elizabeth and Han, Zhuangyu and Belsten, Alexander and Luczak, Nicholas and Brunner, Peter and Haroutounian, Simon and Leuthardt, Eric C} }