R E Alcaide-Aguirre1, S A Warschausky, D Brown, A Aref, J E Huggins. 1. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America. Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Typically, clinical measures of cognition require motor or speech responses. Thus, a significant percentage of people with disabilities are not able to complete standardized assessments. This situation could be resolved by employing a more accessible test administration method, such as a brain-computer interface (BCI). A BCI can circumvent motor and speech requirements by translating brain activity to identify a subject's response. By eliminating the need for motor or speech input, one could use a BCI to assess an individual who previously did not have access to clinical tests. APPROACH: We developed an asynchronous, event-related potential BCI-facilitated administration procedure for the peabody picture vocabulary test (PPVT-IV). We then tested our system in typically developing individuals (N = 11), as well as people with cerebral palsy (N = 19) to compare results to the standardized PPVT-IV format and administration. MAIN RESULTS: Standard scores on the BCI-facilitated PPVT-IV, and the standard PPVT-IV were highly correlated (r = 0.95, p < 0.001), with a mean difference of 2.0 ± 6.4 points, which is within the standard error of the PPVT-IV. SIGNIFICANCE: Thus, our BCI-facilitated PPVT-IV provided comparable results to the standard PPVT-IV, suggesting that populations for whom standardized cognitive tests are not accessible could benefit from our BCI-facilitated approach.
OBJECTIVE: Typically, clinical measures of cognition require motor or speech responses. Thus, a significant percentage of people with disabilities are not able to complete standardized assessments. This situation could be resolved by employing a more accessible test administration method, such as a brain-computer interface (BCI). A BCI can circumvent motor and speech requirements by translating brain activity to identify a subject's response. By eliminating the need for motor or speech input, one could use a BCI to assess an individual who previously did not have access to clinical tests. APPROACH: We developed an asynchronous, event-related potential BCI-facilitated administration procedure for the peabody picture vocabulary test (PPVT-IV). We then tested our system in typically developing individuals (N = 11), as well as people with cerebral palsy (N = 19) to compare results to the standardized PPVT-IV format and administration. MAIN RESULTS: Standard scores on the BCI-facilitated PPVT-IV, and the standard PPVT-IV were highly correlated (r = 0.95, p < 0.001), with a mean difference of 2.0 ± 6.4 points, which is within the standard error of the PPVT-IV. SIGNIFICANCE: Thus, our BCI-facilitated PPVT-IV provided comparable results to the standard PPVT-IV, suggesting that populations for whom standardized cognitive tests are not accessible could benefit from our BCI-facilitated approach.