Discriminating Brain Activation State in a Patient with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Communication: An Exploratory Case Study

Introduction: Maintaining means of communication is an extremely important issue in occupational therapy for patients with intractable neurological disease. A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a device control technology for utilizing physiological signals, and is eagerly awaited for application in occupational therapy as a communication aid for patients with severe motor dysfunction. As an exploratory study for the development of BCI, we examined the accuracy of discriminating brain activation state using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) signals and the effects of cognitive tasks on subjective burden through case study.