Communication via brain waves
thor
of Communicating Using Brain Waves
ALBANY, N.Y., December 29, 2010—Researchers at Albany Medical College
have validated an experimental technology that allows people to use
brain waves recorded directly from the brain’s surface to “choose”
letters to spell on a computer screen at rates faster than any devices
previously described. The findings, part of an ongoing funded research
endeavor in brain-computer interface (BCI) at Albany Med, were
presented earlier this month at the 63rd meeting of the American
Epilepsy Society in Boston.
The research team was led by Gerwin Schalk, Ph.D., associate professor
of neurology at Albany Medical College and research scientist at the
Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health, and
Anthony Ritaccio, M.D., the J. Spencer Standish professor of neurology
and neurosurgery and director of the Epilepsy and Human Brain Mapping
Program at Albany Med. The first author was Peter Brunner, a doctoral
candidate working on the project. Using a software platform called
BCI2000, they recorded electrical activity directly from the brain’s
surface. Signals were detected using platinum electrodes that were
implanted in epileptic patients directly on the surface of the brain
for clinical evaluations prior to epilepsy surgery.
The goal of a BCI system is to allow people with or without
disabilities to use their brain signals to communicate or to
manipulate their environment. Because BCIs use brain signals rather
than muscles for communication and control, they can be operated by
people who are severely paralyzed, even “locked-in,” by amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), brainstem stroke, severe cerebral palsy, or
other devastating disorders.
In the study, the subject looked at a monitor that displayed a 6x6
matrix containing alphabetic and numeric characters, and space and
backspace commands. Each row and column of the matrix was illuminated
randomly and rapidly, i.e., 16 times per second. The subject’s task
was to pay attention to each of the characters she wanted spell. The
computer learned the desired character by interpreting and recording
the brain’s responses to the illuminated row and column that commonly
contained the desired character.
The subject was able to make character selections at rates of more
than 20 characters per minute at or close to 100 percent accuracy.
“These results could further extend communication options, such as
email or instant messaging, for people with severe motor disabilities
to connect with the outside world,” said Dr. Ritaccio. Past studies
have used electroencephalography (EEG), the recording of electrical
activity from electrodes placed on the scalp, to engage in computer
assisted spelling. “In our method, which used electrodes placed on the
surface of the brain, spelling rates were as up to three times faster
when compared to using signals from the scalp,” according to Dr.
Ritaccio. “The subject in this study was able to spell with her mind
faster than some people can type.”
Over the past decade at Wadsworth, Dr. Schalk has led an international
effort to develop a general-purpose software platform for BCIs and
brain monitoring. This software is becoming the standard software for
BCI research in hundreds of labs around the world. Moreover, Dr.
Ritaccio has established a nationally ranked epilepsy center at Albany
Med and has integrated the use of electrode grids to locate seizure
foci and map important brain functions, including language.
Albany Medical Center is northeastern New York’s only academic health
sciences center. It consists of Albany Medical College, Albany Medical
Center Hospital and the Albany Medical Center Foundation, Inc.
Additional information about Albany Medical Center can be found at
www.amc.edu.
My girlfriend use to study and work for Albany Medical college and
forwarded this press release to me today. I thought it might be of
interest to raw fans...
-thor