Rattractor-Instant guidance of a rat into a virtual cage using the deep brain stimulation.

We developed "Rattractor" (rat attractor), a system to apply electrical stimuli to the deep brain of a rat as it stays in a specified region or a virtual cage to demonstrate an instant electrophysiological feedback guidance for animals. Two wire electrodes were implanted in the brains of nine rats. The electrodes targeted the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), which is a part of the reward system in the deep brain.

A novel micro-ECoG recording method for recording multisensory neural activity from the parietal to temporal cortices in mice.

Characterization of inter-regional interactions in brain is essential for understanding the mechanism relevant to normal brain function and neurological disease. The recently developed flexible micro (μ)-electrocorticography (μECoG) device is one prominent method used to examine large-scale cortical activity across multiple regions. The sheet-shaped μECoG electrodes arrays can be placed on a relatively wide area of cortical surface beneath the skull by inserting the device into the space between skull and brain.

Brain-controlled cycling system for rehabilitation following paraplegia with delay-time prediction.

Robotic rehabilitation systems have been investigated to assist with motor dysfunction recovery in patients with lower-extremity paralysis caused by central nervous system lesions. These systems are intended to provide appropriate sensory feedback associated with locomotion. Appropriate feedback is thought to cause synchronous neuron firing, resulting in the recovery of function.

Temporal relation between neural activity and neurite pruning on a numerical model and a microchannel device with micro electrode array.

Synapse elimination and neurite pruning are essential processes for the formation of neuronal circuits. These regressive events depend on neural activity and occur in the early postnatal days known as the critical period, but what makes this temporal specificity is not well understood. One possibility is that the neural activities during the developmentally regulated shift of action of GABA inhibitory transmission lead to the critical period.

Efficient sequential Bayesian inference method for real-time detection and sorting of overlapped neural spikes.

Overlapping of extracellularly recorded neural spike waveforms causes the original spike waveforms to become hidden and merged, confounding the real-time detection and sorting of these spikes. Methods proposed for solving this problem include using a multi-trode or placing a restriction on the complexity of overlaps. In this paper, we propose a rapid sequential method for the robust detection and sorting of arbitrarily overlapped spikes recorded with arbitrary types of electrodes.

Development of exoskeletal robotic limbs for a rat controlled by neural signals based on a vehicular neuro-robotic platform RatCar.

A pair of exoskeletal limbs for a rat has been developed based on a vehicular Brain-Machine Interface "Rat-Car". The "RatCar" is a whole-body motor prosthesis system for a rat developed by the authors, estimating locomotion velocity according to neural signals pattern to move the rat body by the vehicle instead of its original limbs. In this paper, exoskeletal limbs have displaced the wheels for more natural modality of body control.

Effect of simultaneous vibrations to two tendons on velocity of the induced illusory movement.

A typical prosthetic limb has sensory shortcomings, one of which is lack of kinesthesia. Conventional methods to evoke kinesthesia, which would be required for a precise control of prosthetic limbs, include tendon vibration and skin stretch, but these produce only the sensation of small movements. In this study, tendon vibration is extended to evoke sensations of a more rapid movement.

Estimation of finger postures to control a maniform device for playing a trumpet using electromyographic signals with external triggers.

Electromyographic (EMG) signals have been used to control active prosthetic arms for amputees. One of the obstacles in making such prosthetic arms is the timed estimation of posture, because EMG signals and muscle movements are not necessarily synchronized. We estimated the finger motions for trumpet players by using both surface EMG (sEMG) and the timing information using body motion.

RatCar: A vehicular neuro-robotic platform for a rat with a sustaining structure of the rat body under the vehicle.

An online neuro-robotic platform in the form of a small vehicle, the "RatCar" has been developed. First, a rat had neural electrodes implanted in the motor cortices to record extracellular potentials. Then, our system combined the rat and its vehicle body by hanging the rat under its floor.

RatCar system for estimating locomotion states using neural signals with parameter monitoring: Vehicle-formed brain-machine interfaces for rat.

An online brain-machine interface (BMI) in the form of a small vehicle, the 'RatCar,' has been developed. A rat had neural electrodes implanted in its primary motor cortex and basal ganglia regions to continuously record neural signals. Then, a linear state space model represents a correlation between the recorded neural signals and locomotion states (i.

Estimation of locomotion speed and directions changes to control a vehicle using neural signals from the motor cortex of rat.

We have developed a brain-machine interface (BMI) in the form of a small vehicle, which we call the RatCar. In this system, we implanted wire electrodes in the motor cortices of rat's brain to continuously record neural signals. We applied a linear model to estimate the locomotion state (e.