Awareness Detection and Communication in Disorders of Consciousness

PRINCIPLE RESEARCH QUESTIONS The project will address a number key principal research questions largely based on two phases to the study. Phase/study 1 1. What percentage of disorder of consciousness patients assessed provide evidence of awareness using EEG-based BCI technology? 2. How does this differ from their clinical diagnosis/prognosis? 3. Does the EEG-based information complement or augment the clinical assessment and diagnosis process? 4. Do any of those participants who are diagnosed as being in a vegetative state (or MCS) show signs of awareness beyond the vegetative state based on the EEG-based detection of awareness protocol? Phase/study 2 1. Is it possible to train those participants who show clear signs of awareness, as indicated by significant brain activation during the initial assessment in study 1, to produce a more prominent and/or consistent response over a number of training sessions using BCI based training and feedback protocols? 2. Can a subset of the participants use BCI technology to communicate simple responses to questions at the end of the study or is there enough evidence to suggest that with further training over a longer period that the participant may use BCI technology as an alternative or an exclusive communication channel? 3. Does neurotechnology offer any other therapeutic benefits to patients, for example, a means of technology interaction that is movement independent and engaging brain areas otherwise not engaged? SECONDARY RESEARCH Q UESTIONS 1. Does the technology aid feedback/interpretation on assessment outcomes from consultants? 2. How might the experiment provide an opportunity for training others in the deployment of the technology in a clinical setting? 3. What types of BCI methods of feedback are best auditory/visual or both, musical or broadband noise, games or applications etc?