EEG Features of Cortical Intent for Urination and Defecation in Healthy Aging and Spinal Cord Injury: A Descriptive Feasibility Study for BCI Neurorehabilitation

Background/Objectives: Systematically elucidating the neural mechanisms of bowel and bladder control is crucial for developing closed-loop brain-computer interface (BCI) neurorehabilitation for patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). This study aims to characterize the spatiotemporal Electroencephalography (EEG) dynamics and compensatory cortical reorganization underlying continence motor intentions across healthy aging and SCI cohorts.

Methods

32-channel EEG signals were collected from healthy young adults, healthy older adults, and SCI patients during motor attempt paradigms of suppressed urination and defecation (SUD) and active urination and defecation (UD). Data were analyzed utilizing event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) and phase-locking value (PLV) functional connectivity across alpha (8-13 Hz), beta1 (13-20 Hz), and beta2 (20-30 Hz) bands.