The Pistoia section of AislaItalian Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association, purchased and donated BrainControl to the San Jacopo Hospital in Pistoia, a still experimental system that the Neurology department will use to analyze whether, using the impulses emitted by the brain, communication is actually possible in advanced stage ALS patients who have minimal residual movements (pupils, fingers, cheekbone). “It’s the challenge of the future – he says Daniela Morandi, contact person for Aisla Pistoia – where the eye pointer can no longer pick up the signal. A hope for a better future that can already be experienced by our associates today. This is why we strongly supported it and I thank all the donors who, with their generosity, have made this gift possible. Of all, particular mention to Mrs Jane’s generosity and staunch support.”
The technology – explains an Aisla note – consists of a tablet on which the program has been installed, and a helmet with electrodes that is worn for use. Designed by a Sienese company, the Brain-computer interface (Bci) captures the electroencephalic signal relating to thoughts of imagined movement and, thanks to a calibration of the system calibrated on the person, transforms it into a command impulse. Thus, simply by thinking about it, users can answer with a simple yes or no, communicate that they are fine, or choose other simple phrases from the predefined ones, or view others created by them.
In the figure of 17,812 euros, the donation of Aisla Pistoia also includes training for healthcare workers. In fact, the manufacturing company has already begun to support Chiara Sonnoli and Michela Grazzini, respectively neurologist and pulmonologist of the same unit, at the complex Neurology Unit of San Jacopo, directed by Gino Volpi. The equipment supplied consists of: a Tablet PC with cover; an Emotiv Epoc X Electroencephalogram (EEG) Headset; two sets of Eeg sensors (one already installed on the helmet and the second as a reserve); an eye pointer as a complementary tool to optimize communication through residual eye movements and optional accessories provided with the desk stand and the bed stand.
“This computer aid – underlines Volpi – it allows ALS patients in an advanced stage of the disease to translate signals from the central nervous system into words and actions. The results highlighted by its use this year have been extremely satisfying. The patients were able to communicate, interact and make themselves understood by the operators and their families. Patients with ALS require an important commitment from Neurology in the advanced stages of the disease. Being able to support them with innovative technologies, as well as with dedicated assistance, in a room equipped with beds equipped with instruments and a multidisciplinary team, truly determines the difference in their quality of life and that of their caregivers”.
“The development of devices on other applications ranging from virtual visits to moving the wheelchair, for example, are currently very interesting and increasingly realistic prototypes for the quality of life – he says Antonello Paliotta, Aisla national councilor – Imagining the development of ‘mind reading’ which can confirm ‘Yes/No/I don’t know’ becomes extremely important in situations of advanced disease. Our Christmas present could only be to encourage this experimentation. Hope for an ALS-free future is inextricably linked to that of scientific progress.”
Answer questions such as ‘How are you?’, ‘Are you okay?’, ‘Are you happy to know I’m here?’ it means re-establishing contact with the outside world, with one’s affections. Today’s donation is the second of the BrainControl tool, a second chance for the hospital that it will have for assistance to patients with ALS. Tuscany therefore becomes the reference model for testing equipment of this caliber and the San Jacopo is the only one in Italy, concludes the Aisla note.