Evaluation of a Motor Imagery Electroencephalography Brain-computer Interface as an Access Technology for Children
Year: 2018
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been proposed as an access technology for children with severe motor impairments. This study created an electroencephalography (EEG) pediatric BCI driven by motor imagery (MI) and evaluated its performance when controlled by 11 typically developing children aged 9-14 years. The online BCI demonstrated a limited ability to classify left versus right hand MI using spatial features (average 52±9%). Average classification in a retrospective analysis of a MI task versus rest, reached 70±3% indicating the potential for successful BCI control. Small or absent event-related desynchronization in participant-specific topographic representations of MI activity suggest that pediatric brains may not produce MI-related EEG patterns comparable to those of adults. EEG signal features known to be robustly discriminatory and effective in adults may not be appropriate for the pediatric population. Future pediatric MI-BCI studies should recruit larger cohorts of children and youth to test the generalizability of the present findings.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Sarah Catherine House
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3160076185