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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.

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