P300-based Brain-Computer Interface for communication in assistive technology centers: influence of users’ profile on BCI access

Objective. Assistive technology (AT) refers to any product that enables people to live independently and with dignity and to participate in activities of daily life. A Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) is an AT that provides an alternative output, based on neurophysiological signals, to control an external device. The aim of the study is to screen patients accessing an AT-center to investigate their eligibility for BCI access and the factors influencing the BCI control. Approach. Thirty-five users and 11 healthy controls were included in the study. Participants were required to operate a P300-speller BCI. We investigated differences in BCI performance metrics (online accuracy and Information Transfer Rate) between end-user and control groups and we evaluated the influence of clinical diagnosis, socio-demographic factors, level of dependence and disability of users, neuropsychological profile on BCI performance. Main results. 7.1% of the users controlled the system with a mean accuracy of 93.6±8.0%, while 8 users had an online accuracy below 70%. We found that the neuropsychological profile significantly affected online accuracy and ITR. Significance. The percentage of users who had an accuracy considered as functional communication is an encouraging data in terms of BCI effectiveness. The results regarding accuracy and to the factors influencing (and not influencing) it, are a contribution to the process of introducing BCIs in the AT-centers, considering the BCI for communication as an additional input to provide multimodal access to AT.