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Abstract
Deep brain stimulators (DBS) are a neurotechnological means of treating a variety of movement disorders, including essential tremor (ET). Current stimulation systems apply an electrical current to targets in the brain at a constant rate for as long as they are implanted and activated – treating symptoms but causing uncomfortable side-effects and inefficient power usage. Some users feel estranged or isolated for various reasons. Next-generation DBS systems could use the patient’s self-modulated neural signals to trigger stimulation. These brain-computer interface-triggered DBS (BCI-DBS) systems would give the user the ability to moderate side-effects and reduce battery power consumption. It’s not yet clear, however, whether neural control will alleviate or exacerbate psychosocial problems. To explore these concerns, we conducted interviews with an ET patient using an experimental BCI-DBS platform. Our interviews offer preliminary insights about what problems ET patients may face while using BCI-DBS.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by Award Number EEC-1028725 from the National Science Foundation for the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering. This research was also supported by the Department of Defense (DoD) through the National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Program. Finally, a portion of this research was supported through a donation from Medtronic Inc. The content of this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, or Medtronic Inc.