1,849 research outputs found
Paralysis, Scoliosis, and Learning: A Tribute to My Friend Neal Miller
No full textAbstract
Niels Birbaumer provides personal reflections on the life and work of Neal Miller, including his pioneering laboratory investigations of visceral learning. He also describes Miller's study of psychoanalysis in Vienna, and Miller's efforts to translate the concepts of psychoanalysis into the language of learning theory.</jats:p
Metabolische Gehirn-Komputer Schnittstelle
No full textBrain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) utilise neurophysiological signals originating in the brain to activate or deactivate external devices or computers (Donoghue 2002; Wolpaw, Birbaumer et al. 2002; Nicolelis 2003; Birbaumer and Cohen 2007). The neuronal signals can be recorded from inside the brain (invasive BCIs) or outside (non-invasive BCIs) of the brain. Most BCIs developed so far have used operant training of direct neuroelectric responses, Electroencephalography (EEG) waves, event-related potentials and brain oscillations (Birbaumer, Weber et al. 2006; Birbaumer and Cohen 2007). Compared to neuroelectric studies on regulation of brain activity, there have been fewer studies with metabolic signals from the brain (Sitaram, Caria et al. 2007; Weiskopf, Sitaram et al. 2007; Sitaram, Weiskopf et al. 2008). Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) and Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) present themselves as attractive methods of acquiring hemodynamic activity of the brain for a developing a BCI. In this study, we exploit NIRS and fMRI for the implementation of BCIs for the investigation of regulation of hemodynamic signals in the brain and their behavioural consequences. We propose that these methods could be used not only for communication and control in paralysis, but also as powerful tools for experiments in neuroscience and rehabilitation and treatment of neurological disorders.The neuronal signals can be recorded from inside the brain (invasive BCIs) or outside (non-invasive BCIs) of the brain. Most BCIs developed so far have used operant training of direct neuroelectric responses, Electroencephalography (EEG) waves, event-related potentials and brain oscillations (Birbaumer, Weber et al. 2006; Birbaumer and Cohen 2007). Compared to neuroelectric studies on regulation of brain activity, there have been fewer studies with metabolic signals from the brain (Sitaram, Caria et al. 2007; Weiskopf, Sitaram et al. 2007; Sitaram, Weiskopf et al. 2008). Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) and Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) present themselves as attractive methods of acquiring hemodynamic activity of the brain for a developing a BCI. In this study, we exploit NIRS and fMRI for the implementation of BCIs for the investigation of regulation of hemodynamic signals in the brain and their behavioural consequences. We propose that these methods could be used not only for communication and control in paralysis, but also as powerful tools for experiments in neuroscience and rehabilitation and treatment of neurological disorders
Simultaneous recording of slow brain potentials and transcranial magnetic stimulation of hand area in human motor cortex
No full textBrain–computer interface–based communication in the completely locked-in state
No full textThis is the raw data of " Chaudhary, U., Xia, B., Silvoni, S., Cohen, L. G., & Birbaumer, N. (2017). Brain–computer interface–based communication in the completely locked-in state. PLoS biology, 15(1), e1002593.". This paper was retracted on the basis of a false claim of scientific misconduct, as explained in the link "https://communication4als.com/". Although I arrived at a settlement with DFG in 2022, the paper has not been reinstated
Conditional associative learning examined in a paralyzed patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using brain-computer interface technology
Full text linkBackground Brain-computer interface methodology based on self-regulation of slow-cortical potentials (SCPs) of the EEG (electroencephalogram) was used to assess conditional associative learning in one severely paralyzed, late-stage ALS patient. After having been taught arbitrary stimulus relations, he was evaluated for formation of equivalence classes among the trained stimuli. Methods A monitor presented visual information in two targets. The method of teaching was matching to sample. Three types of stimuli were presented: signs (A), colored disks (B), and geometrical shapes (C). The sample was one type, and the choice was between two stimuli from another type. The patient used his SCP to steer a cursor to one of the targets. A smiley was presented as a reward when he hit the correct target. The patient was taught A-B and B-C (sample – comparison) matching with three stimuli of each type. Tests for stimulus equivalence involved the untaught B-A, C-B, A-C, and C-A relations. An additional test was discrimination between all three stimuli of one equivalence class presented together versus three unrelated stimuli. The patient also had sessions with identity matching using the same stimuli. Results The patient showed high accuracy, close to 100%, on identity matching and could therefore discriminate the stimuli and control the cursor correctly. Acquisition of A-B matching took 11 sessions (of 70 trials each) and had to be broken into simpler units before he could learn it. Acquisition of B-C matching took two sessions. The patient passed all equivalence class tests at 90% or higher. Conclusion The patient may have had a deficit in acquisition of the first conditional association of signs and colored disks. In contrast, the patient showed clear evidence that A-B and B-C training had resulted in formation of equivalence classes. The brain-computer interface technology combined with the matching to sample method is a useful way to assess various cognitive abilities of severely paralyzed patients, who are without reliable motor control
Comparison of movement related cortical potential in healthy people and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients
No full textObjective: To understand the brain motor functions and neurophysiological changes due to motor disorder by comparing electroencephalographic data between healthy people and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Methods: The movement related cortical potential (MRCP) was recorded from seven healthy subjects and four ALS patients. They were asked to imagine right wrist extension at two speeds (fast and slow). The peak negativity (RN) and rebound rate (RR) were extracted from MRCP for comparison. Results: The statistical analysis has showed that there was no significant difference in RN between the healthy and the ALS subjects. However, the healthy subjects presented faster RR than ALS during both fast and slow movement imagination. Conclusions: The weaker RR of ALS patients might reflect the impairment of motor output pathways or the degree of motor degeneration. Significance: The comparison between healthy people and ALS patients provides a way to explain the movement disorder through brain electrical signal. In addition, the characteristics of MRCP could be used to monitor and guide brain plasticity in patients
Angst
Full text linkAngst ist ein Gefühl (Emotion). Unter Gefühlen verstehen wir umschriebene Reaktionsmuster im neurophysiologisch-autonomen, motorisch-verhaltensmäßigen und beim Menschen mit abgeschlossener Sprachentwicklung auch im subjektiv-psychologischen Meßbereich (drei »Ebenen«; tGefühle, S. 158 ff.). Gefühle treten wie andere Reaktionen des Organismus als Reaktionen auf äußere (meist soziale) oder innere Reize (z. B. Vorstellungen, Wahrnehmung von Reizen aus dem Körperinneren, u. ä.) auf und benötigen zur vollen Ausprägung ein funktionierendes vegetatives Nervensystem, zusätzlich zum ZNS (Zentralnervensystem) und zum peripheren NS. Gefühle haben sich im Rahmen der Evolution der einzelnen Spezies als Anpassungsmechanismen entwickelt und erfüllten daher ursprünglich eine meist soziale Funktion in der Umweltbewältigung des Organismus. Inwieweit Gefühle heute noch in jedem Fall adaptiv sind, erscheint zumindest fraglich. Die oft notwendige überstarke Kontrolle von Emotionen, aber auch mangelnde Selbstkontrolle (s. Abschnitt 7) kann zu organischen Störungen und Verhaltensstörungen führen, (Birbaumer 1977)
Attitudes Towards End-of-Life Decisions and the Subjective Concepts of Consciousness: An Empirical Analysis
Full text linkBackground: People have fought for their civil rights, primarily the right to live in dignity. At present, the development of technology in medicine and healthcare led to an apparent paradox: many people are fighting for the right to die. This study was aimed at testing whether different moral principles are associated with different attitudes towards end-of-life decisions for patients with a severe brain damage.
Methodology: We focused on the ethical decisions about withdrawing life-sustaining treatments in patients with severe brain damage. 202 undergraduate students at the University of Padova were given one description drawn from four profiles describing different pathological states: the permanent vegetative state, the minimally conscious state, the locked-in syndrome, and the terminal illness. Participants were asked to evaluate how dead or how alive the patient was, and how appropriate it was to satisfy the patient's desire.
Principal Findings: We found that the moral principles in which people believe affect not only people's judgments concerning the appropriateness of the withdrawal of life support, but also the perception of the death status of patients with severe brain injury. In particular, we found that the supporters of the Free Choice (FC) principle perceived the death status of the patients with different pathologies differently: the more people believe in the FC, the more they perceived patients as dead in pathologies where conscious awareness is severely impaired. By contrast, participants who agree with the Sanctity of Life (SL) principle did not show differences across pathologies.
Conclusions: These results may shed light on the complex aspects of moral consensus for supporting or rejecting end-of-life decisions
An EEG/EOG-based hybrid brain-neural computer interaction (BNCI) system to control an exoskeleton for the paralyzed hand
No full textThe loss of hand function can result in severe physical and psychosocial impairment. Thus, compensation of a lost hand function using assistive robotics that can be operated in daily life is very desirable. However, versatile, intuitive, and reliable control of assistive robotics is still an unsolved challenge. Here, we introduce a novel brain/neural-computer interaction (BNCI) system that integrates electroencephalography (EEG) and electrooculography (EOG) to improve control of assistive robotics in daily life environments. To evaluate the applicability and performance of this hybrid approach, five healthy volunteers (HV) (four men, average age 26.5 ± 3.8 years) and a 34-year-old patient with complete finger paralysis due to a brachial plexus injury (BPI) used EEG (condition 1) and EEG/EOG (condition 2) to control grasping motions of a hand exoskeleton. All participants were able to control the BNCI system (BNCI control performance HV: 70.24 ± 16.71%, BPI: 65.93 ± 24.27%), but inclusion of EOG significantly improved performance across all participants (HV: 80.65 ± 11.28, BPI: 76.03 ± 18.32%). This suggests that hybrid BNCI systems can achieve substantially better control over assistive devices, e.g., a hand exoskeleton, than systems using brain signals alone and thus may increase applicability of brain-controlled assistive devices in daily life environments
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