Single channel Event related (De)synchronization(ERD/ERS) analysis of motor execution in stroke affected foot drop subjects

Motor execution induces variation in the amplitude of the ongoing electrical activity of the brain or the electroencephalogram(EEG) of the brain. The relative power decrease in sensorimotor rhythms,mu rhythm(8-13 Hz) and beta rhythm(14-30 Hz),of EEG is referred to as Event related desychronization(ERD)and increase in their relative power is referred to as Event related synchronization(ERS). In this study, we examine mu and beta ERD/ERS during attempted foot dorsiflexion movement of stroke affected foot drop subjects and normal subjects. Single channel EEG at Cz location according to 10-20 electrode system was recorded for brief period of 6 minutes for ten stroke and ten healthy subjects. Maximum amplitude and latency of the ERD/ERS was computed for each of the group. This work addresses the question whether stroke subjects are able to produce similar ERD and ERS electrophysiological signal components as compared to the healthy subjects, which can be used as a reliable signal component for EEG based brain computer (BCI) system design for neurorehabilitation of the subjects.