Induction of Neural Plasticity Using a Low-Cost Open Source Brain-Computer Interface and a 3D-Printed Wrist Exoskeleton

Mads Jochumsen (1) , Taha Al Muhammadee Janjua (1) , Juan Carlos Arceo Luzanilla (2) , Jimmy Lauber (2) , Emilie Simoneau-Buessinger (2) , Rasmus Leck Kæseler (1)

1 Department of Health Science and Technology
2 LAMIH - Laboratoire d'Automatique, de Mécanique et d'Informatique industrielles et Humaines - UMR 8201

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been proven to be useful for stroke rehabilitation, but there are a number of factors that impede the use of this technology in rehabilitation clinics and in home-use, the major factors including the usability and costs of the BCI system. The aims of this study were to develop a cheap 3D-printed wrist exoskeleton that can be controlled by a cheap open source BCI (OpenViBE), and to determine if training with such a setup could induce neural plasticity. Eleven healthy volunteers imagined wrist extensions, which were detected from single-trial electroencephalography (EEG), and in response to this, the wrist exoskeleton replicated the intended movement. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited using transcranial magnetic stimulation were measured before, immediately after, and 30 min after BCI training with the exoskeleton. The BCI system had a true positive rate of 86 ± 12% with 1.20 ± 0.57 false detections per minute. Compared to the measurement before the BCI training, the MEPs increased by 35 ± 60% immediately after and 67 ± 60% 30 min after the BCI training. There was no association between the BCI performance and the induction of plasticity. In conclusion, it is possible to detect imaginary movements using an open-source BCI setup and control a cheap 3D-printed exoskeleton that when combined with the BCI can induce neural plasticity. These findings may promote the availability of BCI technology for rehabilitation clinics and home-use. However, the usability must be improved, and further tests are needed with stroke patients.

Mots clés: brain-computer interface; neural plasticity; neurorehabilitation; motor imagination; exoskeleton

Domaines: Automatique / Robotique; Interface homme-machine [cs.HC]; Ingénierie biomédicale; Neurosciences [q-bio.NC]

Mads Jochumsen, Taha Al Muhammadee Janjua, Juan Carlos Arceo Luzanilla, Jimmy Lauber, Emilie Simoneau-Buessinger, et al.. Induction of Neural Plasticity Using a Low-Cost Open Source Brain-Computer Interface and a 3D-Printed Wrist Exoskeleton. Sensors, 2021, 21 (2), pp.572. ⟨10.3390/s21020572⟩. ⟨hal-03424528⟩