The ability to interface human minds with machines has long stimulated writers and scientists’ imagination. Recent advances in technology and neuroscience are making this idea a reality through Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI).

A BCI is a system that translates an individual’s brain activity into a digital command understandable by an external device such as a computer or a robot (see Rao, 2013). In the past decades, many types of BCI techniques and applications have emerged, especially in the clinical field. For instance, by using brain activity to control robotic devices, assistive BCIs enable severely disabled patients to interact with their environment. On the other hand, Rehabilitative BCIs aim to promote recovery of neurocognitive function following brain injury. This last category of non-invasive BCI has proved its efficiency to treat post-stroke symptoms, especially regarding motor impairments observed in the contralesional body side (see Chaudhary et al., 2016).

However, no effective BCI device or technique has been proposed to attend to neurovisual disorders, which are yet extremely frequent after brain injuries in the right hemisphere. Indeed, 30% to 50% of stroke patients are suffering from Unilateral Spatial Neglect (USN) (Meidian et al., 2020). This syndrome results in a partial or complete proprioceptive or visual neglect contralateral to the brain lesion (Tonin et al., 2017). USN implies important difficulties in daily-life situations by impairing essential activities such as reading or eating, and can even cause serious accidents (e.g., when crossing a street). Moreover, USN considerably limits the effectiveness of other sensorimotor rehabilitation interventions in stroke patients (e.g., Chen et al., 2015). Therefore, it should be treated in the first place (Barrett & Houston, 2019).

The main aim of the present project is to develop an easy-to-use, portable and affordable EEG-based BCI that enhances the evaluation and rehabilitation of patients with USN –at the clinic or at home. More specifically, we propose a new rehabilitative program using interactive virtual reality (VR) controllable through a BCI. This main objective will rely on a two-step organization. First, we will optimize the solution ergonomics by improving the stimuli, gameplay and sense of agency in users. Second, we will explore the solution’s clinical benefits in typical patients suffering from USN.