HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Correspondence: Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Correspondence are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kübler, A. Articles by Wolpaw, J. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kübler, A. Articles by Wolpaw, J. R. Related Collections Anterior nerve cell disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis All Clinical trials Clinical trials Observational study (Cohort, Case control) EEG

Patients with ALS can use sensorimotor rhythms to operate a brain-computer interface

A. Kübler, PhD, F. Nijboer, MS, J. Mellinger, MS, T. M. Vaughan, BA, H. Pawelzik, PhD, G. Schalk, MS, D. J. McFarland, PhD, N. Birbaumer, PhD and J. R. Wolpaw, MD

From the Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology (Drs. Kübler, Pawelzik, and Birbaumer, F. Nijboer, J. Mellinger) Eberhard-Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Wadsworth Center (T. Vaughan, G. Schalk, Drs. McFarland and Wolpaw), New York State Department of Health and State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY; and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience (Dr. Birbaumer) University of Trento, Trento, Italy.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Jonathan R. Wolpaw, PO Box 509, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12201-0509; e-mail: wolpaw{at}wadsworth.org

People with severe motor disabilities can maintain an acceptable quality of life if they can communicate. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which do not depend on muscle control, can provide communication. Four people severely disabled by ALS learned to operate a BCI with EEG rhythms recorded over sensorimotor cortex. These results suggest that a sensorimotor rhythm–based BCI could help maintain quality of life for people with ALS.

Deceased.

Supported by the NIH (NICHD (HD30146) and NIBIB/National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke (EB00856)) and the DFG (SFB550).

Received October 26, 2004. Accepted in final form January 5, 2005.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. J. Wisneski, N. Anderson, G. Schalk, M. Smyth, D. Moran, and E. C. Leuthardt Unique Cortical Physiology Associated With Ipsilateral Hand Movements and Neuroprosthetic Implications Stroke, December 1, 2008; 39(12): 3351 - 3359. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. R. Kipke, W. Shain, G. Buzsaki, E. Fetz, J. M. Henderson, J. F. Hetke, and G. Schalk Advanced Neurotechnologies for Chronic Neural Interfaces: New Horizons and Clinical Opportunities J. Neurosci., November 12, 2008; 28(46): 11830 - 11838. [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Buch, C. Weber, L. G. Cohen, C. Braun, M. A. Dimyan, T. Ard, J. Mellinger, A. Caria, S. Soekadar, A. Fourkas, et al. Think to Move: a Neuromagnetic Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) System for Chronic Stroke Stroke, March 1, 2008; 39(3): 910 - 917. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Lule, V. Diekmann, J. Kassubek, A. Kurt, N. Birbaumer, A. C. Ludolph, and E. Kraft Cortical Plasticity in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Motor Imagery and Function Neurorehabil Neural Repair, December 1, 2007; 21(6): 518 - 526. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. B. Schwartz Useful signals from motor cortex J. Physiol., March 15, 2007; 579(3): 581 - 601. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. G. O'Leary and N. G. Hatsopoulos Early Visuomotor Representations Revealed From Evoked Local Field Potentials in Motor and Premotor Cortical Areas J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2006; 96(3): 1492 - 1506. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Ensrud Can computers read your mind? Neurology, May 24, 2005; 64(10): E30 - E31. [Full Text] [PDF]