fNIRS Motor Task and Cognitive Assessment Before and After MI-BCI Treatment

Perform fNIRS Motor Task Assessment by selecting the motor test paradigm in the fNIRS system. Place the patient's upper limb on the test table and ask the patient to rest for 10 seconds before the experiment. Ask the patient to follow the exercise rhythm, to grasp the effect hand in three blocks during the experiment.

Each block includes 30 seconds task and 30 seconds rest. Each task consists of 15 trials. Each trial includes one second gripping and one second opening of the grasp.

During each rest, ask the patients to close their eyes and rest. After all three blocks are complete, end the task, save the data, and import it to the self-built database. To perform cognitive task assessment by Stroop task, run behavioral research software and choose the Cognitive Task paradigm.

Select the patient treatment files and then select Congruence test. Ask the patient to place their healthy hand on the button of the keyboard. Then ask the patient to rest for 10 seconds before the trial starts.

Perform three blocks of the congruence test. Each block includes 60 seconds task and 30 seconds rest. Each task consists of 10 trials, each consisting of 2, 000 millisecond fixation, and 4, 000 millisecond stimulus response.

When the left symbol is displayed on the left of the field font, press the left arrow button on the keyboard as soon as possible. Similarly, press the right arrow button when the right symbol is displayed on the field font. Next, select the Incongruence test.

When the right symbol is displayed on the left of the field font, ask the patient to ignore the character meaning, and press the left arrow button on the keyboard. Similarly, press right arrow button when left symbol is displayed on the screen. Complete the task, save the data, and export it to the self-created database.

In a 36-year-old male stroke patient diagnosed with left limb motor dysfunction, fNIRS evaluation showed that for the motor task paradigm, the beta value of RM1 was higher after MIBCI treatment. Similarly, the beta value of bilateral DLPFC for the congruence test was higher for the post-treatment than that for the pre-treatment. Also, the beta value of all ROIs for the incongruence test was higher after treatment with MIBCI.

The Stroop cognitive paradigm assessment results showed that for the congruence test, the accuracy rate remained unchanged and the response time became shorter after treatment. For the incongruence test, the accuracy rate remained unchanged, and the response time was shorter after treatment.