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STUDY PROTOCOL article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Neurorehabilitation
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1376782

Brain-Computer Interface on Wrist Training with or without Neurofeedback in Subacute Stroke: A Study Protocol for a Doubleblinded, Randomized Control Pilot Trial

Provisionally accepted
Myeongsun Kim Myeongsun Kim 1Hyunju Park Hyunju Park 2Ilho Kwon Ilho Kwon 2Kwang-Ok An Kwang-Ok An 3Joon-Ho Shin Joon-Ho Shin 4*
  • 1 Department of Rehabilitative and Assistive Technology, Department of Neurorehabilitation, National Rehabilitation Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 2 Department of Rehabilitative and Assistive Technology, National Rehabilitation Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 3 Department of Healthcare and public health research, National Rehabilitation Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 4 Department of Neurorehabilitation, National Rehabilitation Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: After a stroke, damage to the part of the brain that controls movement results in the loss of motor function. Brain-computer interface (BCI)-based stroke rehabilitation involves patients imagining movement without physically moving while the system measures the perceptual-motor rhythm in the motor cortex. Visual feedback through virtual reality and functional electrical stimulation is provided simultaneously. The superiority of real BCI over sham BCI in the subacute phase of stroke remains unclear. Therefore, we aim to compare the effects of real and sham BCI on motor function and brain activity among patients with subacute stroke with weak wrist extensor strength.Methods: This is a double-blinded randomized controlled trial. Patients with stroke will be categorized into real BCI and sham BCI groups. The BCI task involves wrist extension for 60 min/day, 5 times/week for 4 weeks. Twenty sessions will be conducted. The evaluation will be conducted four times, as follows: before the intervention, 2 weeks after the start of the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention. The assessments include a clinical evaluation, electroencephalography, and electromyography using motor-evoked potentials.Discussion: Patients will be categorized into two groups, as follows: those who will be receiving neurofeedback and those who will not receive this feedback during the BCI rehabilitation training. We will examine the importance of motor imaging feedback, and the effect of patients' continuous participation in the training rather than their being passive.

    Keywords: stroke rehabilitation, brain machine interface, Brain-computer interface, randomized clinical trial, Clinical trial protocol

    Received: 26 Jan 2024; Accepted: 15 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Kim, Park, Kwon, An and Shin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Joon-Ho Shin, Department of Neurorehabilitation, National Rehabilitation Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.