In this study we want to investigate whether it is possible to fortify the spatial activity pattern generated by hand gesture imagery and visual mental imagery by means of neurofeedback. In addition, we examine which neurofeedback parameters have a…
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Other condition
Synonym
Health condition
Het onderzoek richt zich op het decoderen van hersenfuncties en zijn van belang voor de ontwikkeling van breincomputer interfaces.
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
The primary study parameter is the fMRI decodability (classification accuracy)
of visually imagined symbols or imagined hand gestures.
Secondary outcome
Not applicable.
Background summary
People with the *locked-in* syndrome (LIS) lose nearly all of their motor
control while their cognition remains intact, effectively locking them into
their own body with limited or no means of communication. Brain-Computer
Interfaces (BCIs) are able to restore communication in LIS patients by
recording brain activity. One implementation of a BCI is by decoding brain
activity patterns which are generated by brain functions like visually imaging
symbols or imagining making hand gestures in order to facilitate communication.
The classification accuracy of decoding (and therefore the accuracy of control
over the BCI appliance) will benefit from more consistent brain activity
patterns. By training people with feedback on the brain activity generated by
visual or hand imagery (i.e. neurofeedback), we think brain activity patterns
will become more consistent thus provide a more stable input for a
communication BCI.
Study objective
In this study we want to investigate whether it is possible to fortify the
spatial activity pattern generated by hand gesture imagery and visual mental
imagery by means of neurofeedback. In addition, we examine which neurofeedback
parameters have a significant influence on the spatial activity pattern.
Study design
This study is an observational study with invasive techniques (functional MRI)
where each experiment has multiple experimental groups and a control group. The
study uses a pretest-training-posttest design where subjects receive
neurofeedback as training.
Study burden and risks
There are no known risks associated with fMRI acquisition. The technique does
not require administration of any contrast agent or ionizing radiation. The
Utrecht group has ample experience with fMRI scanning (300 sessions per year on
the 7 tesla MRI scanner). The fMRI procedure is painless. Slight discomfort may
occur due to peripheral nerve stimulation during scanning, or due to lying
still with the head and part of the body confined in a tunnel-like device.
Heidelberglaan 100
Utrecht 3584 CX
NL
Heidelberglaan 100
Utrecht 3584 CX
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
Age 18-45
Exclusion criteria
Damage to the brain
Noncompliance with MRI safety check list (claustrophobia, metal in the body, etc.)
Pregnancy
Claustrophobia
Design
Recruitment
Followed up by the following (possibly more current) registration
No registrations found.
Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
No registrations found.
In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL60278.041.17 |