EEG-Based Auditory BCI for Communication in a Completely Locked-In Patient Using Volitional Frequency Band Modulation
Journal:
arXiv
Published Date:
Jun 30, 2025
Abstract
Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the completely locked-in
state (CLIS) can lose all reliable motor control and are left without any means
of communication. It remains unknown whether non-invasive electroencephalogram
(EEG) based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can support volitional
communication in CLIS. Here, we show that a CLIS patient was able to operate an
EEG-based BCI across multiple online sessions to respond to both general
knowledge and personally relevant assistive questions. The patient delivered
"Yes"/"No" responses by volitionally modulating alpha and beta band power at
different channels, guided by real-time auditory feedback from the BCI. The
patient communicated assistive needs above chance in all sessions, achieving a
perfect score in the final session. Performance on general knowledge questions
varied across sessions, with two sessions showing accurate and above-chance
responses, while the first and last sessions remained at chance level. The
patient also showed consistent modulation patterns over time. These findings
suggest that non-invasive BCIs may offer a potential pathway for restoring
basic communication in CLIS.
