Thanks to the research of scientists from the Center for Neurotechnology of Southern Federal University, it will be possible to create a “Brain-computer” interface for the rehabilitation of people with neurodegenerative diseases, as well as those who have suffered spinal cord injuries and cerebral stroke. The project is one of the five current areas of the Priority 2030 strategic academic leadership program.
Our whole life passes in motion, we work and study, do sports and household chores, without thinking about how the brain forms each elementary motor act, controls it and corrects it, in case of practical need. Meanwhile, the simplest locomotion (movement) is a complex, hierarchically organized structure, including various levels of control of the central nervous system. According to scientists, the joint work of various brain structures ensures reliable and harmonious control of the body, from the lowest level of unconditioned reflexes that protect against pain, to higher-order reflexes, for example, playing a musical instrument or cycling. However, there are neurodegenerative diseases that can cause a person to lose natural control over their movements and body. For a long time, scientists have tried to observe and decode brain signals in order to understand how a person organizes his own voluntary behavior. It is not entirely clear how the process of making a decision about the need to perform this or that action is formed in the brain? How does the brain function during motor activity?
Employees of the Center for Neurotechnologies of the Southern Federal University Dmitry Lazurenko , Igor Shepelev , Anton Saevsky , Valery Kiroy , under the leadership of the leading researcher at the Scientific Research Center of Neurotechnologies of the Southern Federal University Dmitry Shaposhnikov, took on the problem of deciphering brain activity recorded in the process of voluntary motor activity, using specialized intelligent algorithms for searching for structural features of signals the human brain performing various movements of the limbs, including mental equivalents of real motor acts. A software package was developed that included EEG processing methods to understand how the brain encodes information about movement. In addition, an algorithm has been developed that makes it possible to determine the most optimal settings for the method of classifying brain signals to solve the problem of neurocontrol and neurocommunication in the Brain-Computer interface circuit. Such systems are necessary to solve the problem of rehabilitation and resocialization, as well as increasing the mobility and autonomy of persons with disabilities.
The research is supported by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF), and is also carried out within the framework of the Priority 2030 strategic academic leadership program. Let us remind you that Southern Federal University was among the winners of the basic part and research track of the federal program “Priority 2030”. The Priority 2030 program will concentrate resources to ensure the contribution of Russian universities to achieving the national development goals of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030, increase the scientific and educational potential of universities and scientific organizations, and also ensure their participation in the socio-economic development of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
“Brain-computer interfaces make it possible to directly interface neural activity with an external device, for example, to clearly demonstrate the functioning of a bionic prosthesis controlled by signals recorded from the brain. From our point of view, modern fundamental science should not be a thing in itself; on the contrary, it should find adequate practical application of the knowledge obtained during research, bringing real benefits to society. The creation of IMC is just such a promising area of science at the intersection of many disciplines – biology, mathematics, programming, engineering and psychology,” said Dmitry Lazurenko .
At this stage, specialists are actively working to replace lost channels of communication and control of one’s own body in patients with spinal muscular atrophy, Charcot’s disease, and Pick’s disease. An important condition for the functioning of a BCI is the presence of intact consciousness in the patient, which allows for effective training and acquisition of new communication skills through unusual channels of interaction with the outside world.
“The significance of the research lies in the development of new methods and mathematical algorithms that perform intelligent analysis of human brain activity signals recorded using the Electroencephalography (EEG) method. The developed approach allows us to inidualize and increase the accuracy of setting up the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) system, taking into account the unique characteristics of each person in order to achieve more efficient functioning of neurocontrol technology,” noted Dmitry Lazurenko .
The results of the study were published in the article “Discriminative Frequencies and Temporal EEG Segmentation in the Motor Imagery Classification Approach” in the journal Applied Sciences (MDPI).