Feasibility of Stereo EEG Based Brain Computer Interfacing in An Adult and Pediatric Cohort.

INTRODUCTION

Stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) is a mesoscale intracranial monitoring method which records from the brain volumetrically with depth electrodes. Implementation of sEEG in BCI has not been well-described across a diverse patient cohort.

METHODS

Across eighteen subjects, channels with high frequency broadband (HFB, 65-115Hz) power increases during hand, tongue, or foot movements during a motor screening task were provided real-time feedback based on these HFB power changes to control a cursor on a screen.

RESULTS

Seventeen subjects established successful control of the overt motor BCI, but only nine were able to control imagery BCI with ≥ 80% accuracy. In successful imagery BCI, HFB power in the two target conditions separated into distinct subpopulations, which appear to engage unique subnetworks of the motor cortex compared to cued movement or imagery alone.

CONCLUSION

sEEG-based motor BCI utilizing overt movement and kinesthetic imagery is robust across patient ages and cortical regions with substantial differences in learning proficiency between real or imagined movement.