Actively Recruiting
Non-invasive BCI-controlled Assistive Devices
Led by University of Texas at Austin · Updated on 2026-05-01
100
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
393 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Injuries affecting the central nervous system may disrupt the cortical pathways to muscles causing loss of motor control. Nevertheless, the brain still exhibits sensorimotor rhythms (SMRs) during movement intents or motor imagery (MI), which is the mental rehearsal of the kinesthetics of a movement without actually performing it. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can decode SMRs to control assistive devices and promote functional recovery. Despite rapid advancements in non-invasive BCI systems based on EEG, two persistent challenges remain: First, the instability of SMR patterns due to the non-stationarity of neural signals, which may significantly degrade BCI performance over days and hamper the effectiveness of BCI-based rehabilitation. Second, differentiating MI patterns corresponding to fine hand movements of the same limb is still difficult due to the low spatial resolution of EEG. To address the first challenge, subjects usually learn to elicit reliable SMR and improve BCI control through longitudinal training, so a fundamental question is how to accelerate subject training building upon the SMR neurophysiology. In this study, the investigators hypothesize that conditioning the brain with transcutaneous electrical spinal stimulation, which reportedly induces cortical inhibition, would constrain the neural dynamics and promote focal and strong SMR modulations in subsequent MI-based BCI training sessions - leading to accelerated BCI training. To address the second challenge, the investigators hypothesize that neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) applied contingent to the voluntary activation of the primary motor cortex through MI can help differentiate patterns of activity associated with different hand movements of the same limb by consistently recruiting the separate neural pathways associated with each of the movements within a closed-loop BCI setup. The investigators study the neuroplastic changes associated with training with the two stimulation modalities.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Non-invasive BCI-controlled Assistive Devices
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Able-bodied participants in good general health
- Able-bodied participants with normal or corrected vision
- Able-bodied participants with no history of neurological or psychiatric disease
- Able-bodied participants able to read and understand English
- Subjects with motor disabilities caused by stroke, spinal cord injury, motor neuron diseases (e.g., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spino-cerebellar ataxia, multiple sclerosis), muscular diseases (e.g., myopathy), traumatic or neurological pain, movement disorders (e.g., cerebral palsy), orthopedic issues, traumatic brain injury, or brain tumors
- Subjects with motor disabilities with normal or corrected vision
- Subjects with motor disabilities able to read and understand English
- Subjects with motor disabilities able to provide informed consent
You will not qualify if you...
- Subjects with motor disabilities who have short attentional spans or cognitive deficits that prevent concentration during the entire experimental session
- Subjects with motor disabilities taking heavy medication that affects the central nervous system, including vigilance
- Subjects with motor disabilities with serious illnesses such as metabolic disorders
- Participants with conditions that hinder EEG or EMG recording or the use of electrical stimulation, such as skin infections, wounds, dermatitis, or metal implants under electrodes
- Participants with metallic implants or other factors that contraindicate MRI and transcranial magnetic stimulation according to safety guidelines
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas, United States, 78712
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
J
Jose del R. Millan, PhD
CONTACT
H
Hussein Alawieh
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
FACTORIAL
Primary Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Number of Arms
4
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