Brain-Computer interfaces for communication: preferences of individuals with locked-in syndrome, caregivers and researchers.
Mariana P Branco, Elmar G M Pels, Femke Nijboer and 2 others
PMID 34383613WHAT IT FOUND
People with locked-in syndrome, their caregivers and brain-computer interface researchers agreed on top communication uses: direct conversation, private writing and general computer use.
They disagreed on preferred mental strategies and when to introduce information.
Key findings
01Users, caregivers and researchers ranked direct personal communication, private conversation and writing, and general computer use as the top three applications for a communication brain-computer interface.
02Caregivers preferred visual strategies such as P300, SSVEP and visual imagery more than users and body movement less; researchers also preferred visual strategies more than users and rated attempted speech less favorably than users.
03Caregivers and researchers wanted information about assistive technology and communication brain-computer interfaces as soon as possible after diagnosis, but users with neuromuscular disease preferred information only after losing speech or button pressing.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The user and caregiver samples were small and Dutch only: 28 users and 29 caregivers. The researcher sample was international, so cultural differences may affect opinions. Only 41% of approached researchers responded, and 71% of approached caregivers responded. The questionnaire described an ideal communication brain-computer interface as 100% accurate and 100% accepted, so preferences may not reflect real systems. The paper reports stated preferences, not tested communication outcomes or clinical effects. The researcher count is inconsistent: methods and statistics report 29 researchers, while demographics reports 28 researchers.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume caregivers or researchers can predict what a locked-in patient wants. The study found disagreement about preferred mental strategies and timing, and it measured stated preferences for hypothetical systems, not tested communication outcomes.