03082nas a2200313   4500008004100000022001400041245013800055210006900193260001600262490000700278520206400285653001002349653002102359653002502380653002702405653003702432653001102469653001102480653000902491653001702500653001602517653003102533653002502564653001602589100001702605700002102622700001302643856011202656       2026                        eng d  a1741-255200aMethodological optimization for eliciting robust median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials for realtime single trial applications.0 aMethodological optimization for eliciting robust median nerve so  c2026 Jan 090 v233 a<p>Single-trial measurement of median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) with noninvasive electroencephalography (EEG) is challenging due to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), limiting its use in real-time neurorehabilitation applications. We describe and evaluate methodological optimizations for eliciting reliable median nerve SEPs measurable in real time, with reduced reliance on post-processing.In twelve healthy participants, two sessions each, SEPs were assessed at three pulse widths (0.1, 0.5, 1 ms), at a low-frequency stimulation (0.5 Hz ± 10%), and at an intensity sufficient to evoke consistent and robust sensory nerve action potentials and compound muscle action potentials. The evoked potential operant conditioning system platform was used to monitor responses in real time. Feasibility was also evaluated in a participant with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI).SEP P50 and N70 were reliably elicited in healthy participants, and in individual with iSCI, across all tested pulse widths with minimal discomfort. N70 amplitude increased significantly with pulse width (χ2= 17.64,= 0.0001,= 0.80), while P50 amplitude remained unchanged. SNR showed a significant pulse width-dependent increase (χ2= 7.82,= 0.02,= 0.35) with improvements of 40% and 52% at 0.5 and 1 ms, respectively. N70 single-trial separability significantly improved at 1 ms (AUC of 0.83,χ2= 8.17,= 0.017), including the iSCI participant (0.84-less impaired hand, 0.79-more impaired hand). Test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.70-0.84,< 0.05) was highest at 0.5 ms, indicating more consistent N70 and P50 measurements across sessions at a longer pulse width.Robust median nerve SEPs can be measured at single trials with methodological optimizations such as a longer pulse width (0.5-1 ms), low frequency (0.5 Hz), a consistent afferent excitation guided by nerve and muscle responses, and a robust EEG acquisition system. This setup can be useful for real time SEP-based brain computer interface applications for rehabilitation.</p>10aAdult10aComputer Systems10aElectric Stimulation10aElectroencephalography10aEvoked Potentials, Somatosensory10aFemale10aHumans10aMale10aMedian Nerve10aMiddle Aged10aReproducibility of Results10aSpinal Cord Injuries10aYoung Adult1 aGupta, Disha1 aBrangaccio, Jodi1 aHill, NJ  uhttps://www.neurotechcenter.org/publications/2026/methodological-optimization-eliciting-robust-median-nerve03130nas a2200313   4500008004100000022001400041245013900055210006900194260001500263520206900278653002002347653002602367653002102393653002202414653001302436653001102449653002702460653002502487100001702512700001702529700001902546700002402565700002302589700002102612700001402633700002402647700002202671856012302693       2022                        eng d  a1940-087X00aThe Evoked Potential Operant Conditioning System (EPOCS): A Research Tool and an Emerging Therapy for Chronic Neuromuscular Disorders.0 aEvoked Potential Operant Conditioning System EPOCS A Research To  c2022 08 253 a<p>The Evoked Potential Operant Conditioning System (EPOCS) is a software tool that implements protocols for operantly conditioning stimulus-triggered muscle responses in people with neuromuscular disorders, which in turn can improve sensorimotor function when applied appropriately. EPOCS monitors the state of specific target muscles-e.g., from surface electromyography (EMG) while standing, or from gait cycle measurements while walking on a treadmill-and automatically triggers calibrated stimulation when pre-defined conditions are met. It provides two forms of feedback that enable a person to learn to modulate the targeted pathway's excitability. First, it continuously monitors ongoing EMG activity in the target muscle, guiding the person to produce a consistent level of activity suitable for conditioning. Second, it provides immediate feedback of the response size following each stimulation and indicates whether it has reached the target value. To illustrate its use, this article describes a protocol through which a person can learn to decrease the size of the Hoffmann reflex-the electrically-elicited analog of the spinal stretch reflex-in the soleus muscle. Down-conditioning this pathway's excitability can improve walking in people with spastic gait due to incomplete spinal cord injury. The article demonstrates how to set up the equipment; how to place stimulating and recording electrodes; and how to use the free software to optimize electrode placement, measure the recruitment curve of direct motor and reflex responses, measure the response without operant conditioning, condition the reflex, and analyze the resulting data. It illustrates how the reflex changes over multiple sessions and how walking improves. It also discusses how the system can be applied to other kinds of evoked responses and to other kinds of stimulation, e.g., motor evoked potentials to transcranial magnetic stimulation; how it can address various clinical problems; and how it can support research studies of sensorimotor function in health and disease.</p>10aChronic Disease10aConditioning, Operant10aElectromyography10aEvoked Potentials10aH-Reflex10aHumans10aNeuromuscular Diseases10aSpinal Cord Injuries1 aHill, Jeremy1 aGupta, Disha1 aEftekhar, Amir1 aBrangaccio, Jodi, A1 aNorton, James, J S1 aMcLeod, Michelle1 aFake, Tim1 aWolpaw, Jonathan, R1 aThompson, Aiko, K  uhttps://www.neurotechcenter.org/publications/2022/evoked-potential-operant-conditioning-system-epocs-research-tool-and