Alters- und geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede bei der Nutzung einer P300-basierten Brain Computer Interfaces: Eine Studie ereigniskorrelierter EEG-Oszillationen

Brain-Computer-Interfaces (BCI) are currently a subject of high interest in the field of rehabilitation technology. BCI will allow patients without control of their muscles to access certain functions of a computer, eg a speller for communication. Especially the possibility to establish methods of communication for the paralyzed is a main focus of BCI research. Among others, one common approach for Brain-Computer-Interfacing is the P300-Speller. It applies a modified Oddball-Paradigm to evoke a P300-Komponente, which is subsequently detected by automated means. Detection of the P300-Wave is connected to the related character, which is then displayed on a computer screen. The P300-Speller is an established method in laboratory research; still it is not yet applied in a clinical setting. Most applications and tests, using the P300-Speller, still take place in young, healthy subjects. This study investigates differences in the P300-Speller usability between male and female users as well as between young and old users. Under certain conditions, i.e. difficult conditions, robust and reproducible differences are found. Aged men are worse in their ability to use the speller than young men and women of both age groups. In a visual Oddball-Paradigm, bad performance in the P300-Speller is reflected in event-related EEG oscillations. Especially in the frequency bands associated with attention, the group with the worst performance shows less pronounced signals than the other experimental groups. It is concluded, that older men s attention is less pronounced than that in the other groups, effecting EEG-Oscillations and performance in the P300-Speller. A visual Oddball-Paradigm may be suitable as a predictor for a persons ability to use the P300-Speller.