Application of MI-BCI Combined With tDCS in Early Rehabilitation After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

The treatment intervention was carried out in an independent and quite room and included following steps: During the MI-BCI based training, MI of leg flexion and extension training was first performed 10 times to accurate the training threshold, and then later in the formal BCI training, if the attention was reached the threshold, functional electrical stimulator was trigger to stimulate the corresponding muscle to execute the actual action. Additionally, the patient was given a brief training about how to operate tDCS device until he felt comfortable using it, and then asked to show and give feedback to the researcher. For motor function and pain improvement, tDCS is typically delivered with the anode electrode placed over the primary motor cortex (M1), and the cathode over the supraorbital area (SO) to trigger neuroplastic changes\[5\]. The MI-BCI combined with tDCS treatment was performed five days per week (in the late afternoon), and MI-BCI training for 30min.