Clinical Research Directory

Near-Infrared Imaging of Motor Imagery Effects in Spinal Cord Injury

The primary objective of this clinical trial is to investigate the efficacy of motor imagery-based brain-computer interface (MI-BCI) technology in improving motor function among patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), as well as its impact on cortical motor area function across varying states. To achieve this, the study will implement MI-BCI intervention in SCI patients, evaluate post-treatment motor function improvements, and assess changes in cortical motor area oxygen metabolism (via functional near-infrared spectroscopy, fNIRS) and neural activity (via electroencephalography, EEG). The ultimate goal is to establish a novel rehabilitation strategy for SCI. Specifically, the trial aims to: (1) determine whether MI-BCI effectively enhances motor function in SCI patients; and (2) clarify the differential effects of MI-BCI on cortical motor area function under distinct states (e.g., resting vs. task-performing) in this population. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: the experimental group will undergo MI-BCI training, while the control group will receive active cycling training (as a conventional rehabilitation control). Both interventions will be structured as 20-minute sessions, administered 5 days per week, over a total of 4 weeks.Pre- and post-treatment assessments will include: lower limb motor function (measured by the Lower Limb Motor Score), activities of daily living (evaluated via the Modified Barthel Index), walking capacity (quantified using the Spinal Cord Injury Walking Index), and cortical motor activity (captured through fNIRS and EEG measurements).

StereoEEG Motor Neuronal Potentials Decoding

The goals of this study are (1) to evaluate the rate of stereoEEG brain-computer interface (BCI) classification accuracy and (2) to collect the dataset of neuronal signals recorded from stereoEEG electrodes during motor performance, motor imagery or brain-computer interface control. The study enrolls hospitalised patients suffering from resistant epilepsy with already implanted intracranial stereoEEG electrodes for medical reasons (i.e. for preoperative localization of the epileptogenic foci). The number and location of electrodes are determined solely for the clinical purposes of stereoEEG monitoring and are not related to the protocol of the current study. After obtaining informed consent to participate in the study, each patient will participate in one experimental session lasting no more than 60 minutes, recording brain signals associated with hand movement, motor imagery, and BCI control. All tasks and instructions presented during the study session are not pro-epileptogenic and cannot provoke an epileptic attack. The experiments will take place in the patient's room, without interruption of observation by the department's medical staff. The data recorded in this study will be used to improve or develop new algorithms for decoding motor signals from deep brain structures for their potential use in invasive BCIs.