Effectiveness and safety of brain-computer interface technology in the treatment of poststroke motor disorders: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: About 85% of stroke survivors have upper extremity dysfunction, and more than 60% have continuing hand dysfunction and cannot live independently after treatment. Numerous recent publications have explored brain-computer interfaces technology as rehabilitation tools to help subacute and chronic stroke patients recover upper extremity movement. Our study aims to synthesise results from randomised controlled trials to assess the effectiveness and safety of brain-computer interface technology in the treatment of poststroke motor disorders（PSMD）. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: English and Chinese search strategies will be conducted in eight databases: the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, Wanfang Database, China Doctoral Dissertations Full-Text Database, China Master’s Theses Full-Text Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed and Embase. In addition, manual retrieval of research papers, conference papers, ongoing experiments and internal reports, among others, will supplement electronic retrieval. The searches will select all eligible studies published on or before 8 June 2020. To enhance the effectiveness of the study, only randomised controlled trials related to brain-computer interface technology for poststroke motor disorders will be included. The Fugl-Meyer Motor Function score will be the primary outcome measure; the Modified Barthel Index, Modified Ashworth Score and the upper extremity freehand muscle strength assessment will be secondary outcomes. Side effects and adverse events will be included as safety evaluations. To ensure the quality of the systematic evaluation, study selection, data extraction and quality assessment will be independently performed by two authors, and a third author will handle any disagreement. Review Manager V.5.3.3 and STATA V.15.1 will be used to perform the data synthesis and subgroup analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systemic review will evaluate the efficacy and safety of brain-computer interface technology combined with routine rehabilitation treatment for treatment of poststroke motor disorders. Since all included data will be obtained from published articles, the review does not require ethical approval. The review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020190868.