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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 579/3/637    most recent jphysiol.2006.123067v2 jphysiol.2006.123067v1 Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dobkin, B. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dobkin, B. H. Related Collections Review articles

¹ University of California Los Angeles, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) are a rehabilitation tool for tetraplegic patients that aim to improve quality of life by augmenting communication, control of the environment, and self-care. The neurobiology of both rehabilitation and BCI control depends upon learning to modify the efficacy of spared neural ensembles that represent movement, sensation and cognition through progressive practice with feedback and reward. To serve patients, BCI systems must become safe, reliable, cosmetically acceptable, quickly mastered with minimal ongoing technical support, and highly accurate even in the face of mental distractions and the uncontrolled environment beyond a laboratory. BCI technologies may raise ethical concerns if their availability affects the decisions of patients who become locked-in with brain stem stroke or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to be sustained with ventilator support. If BCI technology becomes flexible and affordable, volitional control of cortical signals could be employed for the rehabilitation of motor and cognitive impairments in hemiplegic or paraplegic patients by offering on-line feedback about cortical activity associated with mental practice, motor intention, and other neural recruitment strategies during progressive task-oriented practice. Clinical trials with measures of quality of life will be necessary to demonstrate the value of near-term and future BCI applications.

(Received 17 October 2006; accepted after revision 8 November 2006; first published online 16 November 2006)
Corresponding author B. H. Dobkin: University of California Los Angeles, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Email: bdobkin{at}mednet.ucla.edu

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