The neurochip BCI: towards a neural prosthesis for upper limb function

• Published in: IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering 2006-06, Vol.14 (2), p.187-190
• Main Authors: Jackson, A., Moritz, C.T., Mavoori, J., Lucas, T.H., Fetz, E.E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Brain; Brain - physiopathology; Brain-computer interface (BCI); Computer interfaces; Electric Stimulation Therapy - instrumentation; Electric Stimulation Therapy - methods; Electrodes; Electromyography; Equipment Design; Equipment Failure Analysis; Evoked Potentials; Haplorhini; Humans; motor cortex; Motor Cortex - physiopathology; Movement Disorders - physiopathology; Movement Disorders - rehabilitation; Muscle, Skeletal - innervation; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Muscles; Nervous system; neural prosthetics; Neurons; Prosthetics; Pyramidal Tracts - physiopathology; Spinal cord; spinal cord injury; Testing; Therapy, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation; Therapy, Computer-Assisted - methods; Upper Extremity - innervation; Upper Extremity - physiopathology; User-Computer Interface
• ISSN: 1534-4320; 1558-0210
• DOI: 10.1109/TNSRE.2006.875547

The Neurochip BCI is an autonomously operating interface between an implanted computer chip and recording and stimulating electrodes in the nervous system. By converting neural activity recorded in one brain area into electrical stimuli delivered to another site, the Neurochip BCI could form the basis for a simple, direct neural prosthetic. In tests with normal, unrestrained monkeys, the Neurochip continuously recorded activity of single neurons in primary motor cortex for several weeks at a time. Cortical activity was correlated with simultaneously-recorded electromyogram (EMG) activity from arm muscles during free behavior. In separate experiments with anesthetized monkeys, we found that microstimulation of the cervical spinal cord evoked movements of the arm and hand, often involving multiple muscles synergies. These observations suggest that spinal microstimulation controlled by cortical neurons could help compensate for damaged corticospinal projections.