Velocity neurons improve performance more than goal or position neurons do in a simulated closed-loop BCI arm-reaching task.
Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) that convert brain-recorded neural signals into intended movement commands could eventually be combined with Functional Electrical Stimulation to allow individuals with Spinal Cord Injury to regain effective and intuitive control of their paralyzed limbs. To accelera...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncom.2015.00084/full |
| _version_ | 1818619271979204608 |
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| author | James Yu-Chang Liao James Yu-Chang Liao Robert F Kirsch Robert F Kirsch |
| author_facet | James Yu-Chang Liao James Yu-Chang Liao Robert F Kirsch Robert F Kirsch |
| author_sort | James Yu-Chang Liao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) that convert brain-recorded neural signals into intended movement commands could eventually be combined with Functional Electrical Stimulation to allow individuals with Spinal Cord Injury to regain effective and intuitive control of their paralyzed limbs. To accelerate the development of such an approach, we developed a model of closed-loop BCI control of arm movements that (1) generates realistic arm movements (based on experimentally measured, visually-guided movements with real-time error correction), (2) simulates cortical neurons with firing properties consistent with literature reports, and (3) decodes intended movements from the noisy neural ensemble. With this model we explored (1) the relative utility of neurons tuned for different movement parameters (position, velocity, and goal) and (2) the utility of recording from larger numbers of neurons – critical issues for technology development and for determining appropriate brain areas for recording. We simulated arm movements that could be practically restored to individuals with severe paralysis, i.e., movements from an armrest to a volume in front of the person. Performance was evaluated by calculating the smallest movement endpoint target radius within which the decoded cursor position could dwell for one second. Our results show that goal, position, and velocity neurons all contribute to improve performance. However, velocity neurons enabled smaller targets to be reached in shorter amounts of time than goal or position neurons. Increasing the number of neurons also improved performance, although performance saturated at 30-50 neurons for most neuron types. Overall, our work presents a closed-loop BCI simulator that models error corrections and the firing properties of various movement-related neurons that can be easily modified to incorporate different neural properties. We anticipate that this kind of tool will be important for development of future BCIs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T17:34:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4b739cff5ebb4f579ce9367a09d47496 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5188 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T17:34:50Z |
| publishDate | 2015-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-4b739cff5ebb4f579ce9367a09d474962022-12-21T22:22:49ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience1662-51882015-07-01910.3389/fncom.2015.00084141286Velocity neurons improve performance more than goal or position neurons do in a simulated closed-loop BCI arm-reaching task.James Yu-Chang Liao0James Yu-Chang Liao1Robert F Kirsch2Robert F Kirsch3Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation CenterCase Western Reserve UniversityCleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation CenterBrain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) that convert brain-recorded neural signals into intended movement commands could eventually be combined with Functional Electrical Stimulation to allow individuals with Spinal Cord Injury to regain effective and intuitive control of their paralyzed limbs. To accelerate the development of such an approach, we developed a model of closed-loop BCI control of arm movements that (1) generates realistic arm movements (based on experimentally measured, visually-guided movements with real-time error correction), (2) simulates cortical neurons with firing properties consistent with literature reports, and (3) decodes intended movements from the noisy neural ensemble. With this model we explored (1) the relative utility of neurons tuned for different movement parameters (position, velocity, and goal) and (2) the utility of recording from larger numbers of neurons – critical issues for technology development and for determining appropriate brain areas for recording. We simulated arm movements that could be practically restored to individuals with severe paralysis, i.e., movements from an armrest to a volume in front of the person. Performance was evaluated by calculating the smallest movement endpoint target radius within which the decoded cursor position could dwell for one second. Our results show that goal, position, and velocity neurons all contribute to improve performance. However, velocity neurons enabled smaller targets to be reached in shorter amounts of time than goal or position neurons. Increasing the number of neurons also improved performance, although performance saturated at 30-50 neurons for most neuron types. Overall, our work presents a closed-loop BCI simulator that models error corrections and the firing properties of various movement-related neurons that can be easily modified to incorporate different neural properties. We anticipate that this kind of tool will be important for development of future BCIs.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncom.2015.00084/fullMotor CortexDecodingparietal cortexPositionBrain computer interface (BCI)simulator |
| spellingShingle | James Yu-Chang Liao James Yu-Chang Liao Robert F Kirsch Robert F Kirsch Velocity neurons improve performance more than goal or position neurons do in a simulated closed-loop BCI arm-reaching task. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience Motor Cortex Decoding parietal cortex Position Brain computer interface (BCI) simulator |
| title | Velocity neurons improve performance more than goal or position neurons do in a simulated closed-loop BCI arm-reaching task. |
| title_full | Velocity neurons improve performance more than goal or position neurons do in a simulated closed-loop BCI arm-reaching task. |
| title_fullStr | Velocity neurons improve performance more than goal or position neurons do in a simulated closed-loop BCI arm-reaching task. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Velocity neurons improve performance more than goal or position neurons do in a simulated closed-loop BCI arm-reaching task. |
| title_short | Velocity neurons improve performance more than goal or position neurons do in a simulated closed-loop BCI arm-reaching task. |
| title_sort | velocity neurons improve performance more than goal or position neurons do in a simulated closed loop bci arm reaching task |
| topic | Motor Cortex Decoding parietal cortex Position Brain computer interface (BCI) simulator |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fncom.2015.00084/full |
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