A brain-computer interface (BCI) provides a direct functional interaction between human brain activity and external device. Principal BCI scheme and brain signals relevant to its performance are discussed. Two types of BCI are considered: gradual and discrete ones. Gradual BCI continuously transforms desired movement direction of controlled working point to relevant brain activity. Discrete BCI is based on recognition of brain activity relating to a performance of several distinct mental tasks. By agreement with the BCI operator each mental task is associated with one of commands to the external device. Then to produce the commands, the operator switches voluntary between corresponding mental tasks. If BCI is dedicated to control device movements then psychologically convenient mental tasks are motor imaginations. For example, when a patient controls by BCI the movement of a wheelchair its movement to the left can be associated with the imagination of the left arm movement and movement to the right - with the right arm movement imagination. However if BCI is dedicated to control home appliances, selecting contacts in a phone address book, or web search engine manipulation then controlling the BCI with voluntary visualization of corresponding images is a more natural mental task. Performance of BCIs based on both types of mental tasks is considered. Motor imagination is also considered now as an efficient rehabilitation procedure to restore movement in paralysis. The application of BCI based on motor imagination to perform a rehabilitation of neurological patients is especially discussed.
Tutor:
Prof. Alexander Frolov (Mathematical Neurobiology of Learning Lab, Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophisiology of RAS, Moscow, Russia)