{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Conversion of a medical implant into a versatile computer-brain interface.
{Author}: Várkuti B;Halász L;Hagh Gooie S;Miklós G;Smits Serena R;van Elswijk G;McIntyre CC;Lempka SF;Lozano AM;Erōss L;
{Journal}: Brain Stimul
{Volume}: 17
{Issue}: 1
{Year}: 2024 Jan-Feb 24
{Factor}: 9.184
{DOI}: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.12.011
{Abstract}: Information transmission into the human nervous system is the basis for a variety of prosthetic applications. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) systems are widely available, have a well documented safety record, can be implanted minimally invasively, and are known to stimulate afferent pathways. Nonetheless, SCS devices are not yet used for computer-brain-interfacing applications.<BR>Here we aimed to establish computer-to-brain communication via medical SCS implants in a group of 20 individuals who had been operated for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain.<BR>In the initial phase, we conducted interface calibration with the aim of determining personalized stimulation settings that yielded distinct and reproducible sensations. These settings were subsequently utilized to generate inputs for a range of behavioral tasks. We evaluated the required calibration time, task training duration, and the subsequent performance in each task.<BR>We could establish a stable spinal computer-brain interface in 18 of the 20 participants. Each of the 18 then performed one or more of the following tasks: A rhythm-discrimination task (n = 13), a Morse-decoding task (n = 3), and/or two different balance/body-posture tasks (n = 18; n = 5). The median calibration time was 79 min. The median training time for learning to use the interface in a subsequent task was 1:40 min. In each task, every participant demonstrated successful performance, surpassing chance levels.<BR>The results constitute the first proof-of-concept of a general purpose computer-brain interface paradigm that could be deployed on present-day medical SCS platforms.