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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration Volume 17, 2016 - Issue 7-8
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Research Article

Cognitive assessment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis by means of P300-Brain Computer Interface: a preliminary study

Barbara PolettiDepartment of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience – IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy, Correspondence[email protected]
,
Laura CarelliDepartment of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience – IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy,
,
Federica SolcaDepartment of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience – IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy,
,
Annalisa LafronzaDepartment of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience – IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy,
,
Elisa PedroliApplied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy,
,
Andrea FainiDepartment of Cardiovascular, Neural and Metabolic Sciences – IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy,
,
Stefano ZagoDepartment of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, IRCCS Fondazione Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy,
,
Nicola TicozziDepartment of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience – IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy, ;Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, “Dino Ferrari” Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy,
,
Paolo MeriggiICT & Biomedical Technology Integration Unit, Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer (CITT), Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus, Milan, Italy,
,
Pietro CipressoApplied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy,
,
Dorothée LuléDepartment of Neurology – University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany, and
,
Albert C. LudolphDepartment of Neurology – University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany, and
,
Giuseppe RivaApplied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy, ;Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, Milan, Italy
&
Vincenzo SilaniDepartment of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience – IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy, ;Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, “Dino Ferrari” Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy,
show all
Pages 473-481 | Received 19 Oct 2015, Accepted 13 Mar 2016, Published online: 12 May 2016
 
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Abstract

Objective: To investigate the use of P300-based Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology for the administration of motor-verbal free cognitive tests in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Methods: We recruited 15 ALS patients and 15 age- and education-matched healthy subjects. All participants underwent a BCI-based neuropsychological assessment, together with two standard cognitive screening tools (FAB, MoCA), two psychological questionnaires (BDI, STAI-Y) and a usability questionnaire. For patients, clinical and respiratory examinations were also performed, together with a behavioural assessment (FBI).

Results: Correlations were observed between standard cognitive and BCI-based neuropsychological assessment, mainly concerning execution times in the ALS group. Moreover, patients provided positive rates concerning the BCI perceived usability and subjective experience. Finally, execution times at the BCI-based neuropsychological assessment were useful to discriminate patients from controls, with patients achieving lower processing speed than controls regarding executive functions.

Conclusions: The developed motor-verbal free neuropsychological battery represents an innovative approach, that could provide relevant information for clinical practice and ethical issues. Its use for cognitive evaluation throughout the course of ALS, currently not available by means of standard assessment, must be addressed in further longitudinal validation studies. Further work will be aimed at refining the developed system and enlarging the cognitive spectrum investigated.

Acknowledgments

The Authors would like to thank patients and their relatives, together with the other volunteers who participated to this research. The presented work was partly funded by the “eBrain: BCI and ET for ALS” Lombardy Region project.

Disclosure of interest: The authors have no known conflict of interest in relation to publication of this paper.

Supplementary material available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21678421.2016.1181182

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