Patent ID: 9730816
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: A61B,A61F,A61N

Claim:
1. A method for performing closed-loop brain computer interface control to assist a hemiparetic subject with respect to movement of an affected body part, comprising the steps of: in an open-loop screening process involving the subject, sensing a plurality of brain signals from at least the unaffected hemisphere of the subject's brain when body part movement is being performed or attempted, the body part movement including both actual or imagined ipsilateral movement of the affected body part on the same side of the subject's body as the unaffected hemisphere and actual or imagined contralateral movement of a non-affected body part on the opposite side of the subject's body from the unaffected hemisphere, the sensing being performed using an electrode array comprising a plurality of electrodes, wherein the electrode array is configured and positioned such that each electrode of the plurality of electrodes senses electrical signals from at least different portions of the unaffected hemisphere of the brain, and identifying from the sensed plurality of signals a subset of signals having at least one cortical feature associated with the ipsilateral movement comprising spectral power changes being predominantly represented in a range of frequencies below 75 Hz, wherein the at least one cortical feature associated with the ipsilateral movement is distinct from a cortical feature of higher frequency distributions associated with the contralateral movement; and using the identified at least one cortical feature associated with the ipsilateral movement in closed-loop brain computer interface (BCI) control to assist the hemiparetic subject in controlling movement of the affected body part, the closed-loop BCI control comprising: (i) sensing a plurality of brain signals from at least the unaffected hemisphere of the subject's brain using an electrode array comprising a plurality of electrodes, wherein the electrode array is configured and positioned such that each electrode of the plurality of electrodes senses electrical signals from at least different portions of the unaffected hemisphere of the brain; (ii) receiving, by a translating unit comprising a computing unit, the sensed signals that are sensed during the BCI control; (iii) translating, by the translating unit, the sensed signals that are sensed during the BCI control into a command signal for controlling a device to manipulate the affected body part of the subject, wherein translating the sensed signals comprises identifying a subset of the sensed signals sensed during BCI control having the identified at least one cortical feature associated with the ipsilateral movement that is distinct from the cortical feature associated with the contralateral movement; and (iv) using the command signal in the control of a device that manipulates the affected manipulating body part of the subject in response to the command signal.