A Brain-Spinal Interface (BSI) System-on-Chip (SoC) for Closed-Loop Cortically-Controlled Intraspinal Microstimulation.

This paper reports on a fully miniaturized brain-spinal interface (BSI) system for closed-loop cortically-controlled intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS). Fabricated in AMS 0.35μm two-poly four-metal complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, this system-on-chip (SoC) measures ~ 3.

Cortical control of intraspinal microstimulation: Toward a new approach for restoration of function after spinal cord injury.

Approximately 6 million people in the United States are currently living with paralysis in which 23% of the cases are related to spinal cord injury (SCI). Miniaturized closed-loop neural interfaces have the potential for restoring function and mobility lost to debilitating neural injuries such as SCI by leveraging recent advancements in bioelectronics and a better understanding of the processes that underlie functional and anatomical reorganization in an injured nervous system. This paper describes our current progress toward developing a miniaturized brain-machine-spinal cord interface (BMSI) that converts in real time the neural command signals recorded from the cortical motor regions to electrical stimuli delivered to the spinal cord below the injury level.

Output Properties of the Cortical Hindlimb Motor Area in Spinal Cord-Injured Rats.

The purpose of this study was to examine neuronal activity levels in the hindlimb area of motor cortex following spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats and compare the results with measurements in normal rats. Fifteen male Fischer-344 rats received a 200 Kdyn contusion injury in the thoracic cord at level T9-T10. After a minimum of 4 weeks following SCI, intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) and single-unit recording techniques were used in both the forelimb and hindlimb motor areas (FLA, HLA) under ketamine anesthesia.

Towards a miniaturized brain-machine-spinal cord interface (BMSI) for restoration of function after spinal cord injury.

Nearly 6 million people in the United States are currently living with paralysis in which 23% of the cases are related to spinal cord injury (SCI). Miniaturized closed-loop neural interfaces have the potential for restoring function and mobility lost to debilitating neural injuries such as SCI by leveraging recent advancements in bioelectronics and a better understanding of the processes that underlie functional and anatomical reorganization in an injured nervous system. This paper describes our current progress towards developing a miniaturized brain-machine-spinal cord interface (BMSI) that is envisioned to convert in real time the neural command signals recorded from the brain to electrical stimuli delivered to the spinal cord below the injury level.

Restoration of function after brain damage using a neural prosthesis.

Neural interface systems are becoming increasingly more feasible for brain repair strategies. This paper tests the hypothesis that recovery after brain injury can be facilitated by a neural prosthesis serving as a communication link between distant locations in the cerebral cortex. The primary motor area in the cerebral cortex was injured in a rat model of focal brain injury, disrupting communication between motor and somatosensory areas and resulting in impaired reaching and grasping abilities.

Reliability in the location of hindlimb motor representations in Fischer-344 rats: laboratory investigation.

Object: The purpose of the present study was to determine the feasibility of using a common laboratory rat strain for reliably locating cortical motor representations of the hindlimb.

Methods: Intracortical microstimulation techniques were used to derive detailed maps of the hindlimb motor representations in 6 adult Fischer-344 rats.

Results: The organization of the hindlimb movement representation, while variable across individual rats in topographic detail, displayed several commonalities.