The Science of Neural Interface Systems

The ultimate goal of neural interface research is to create links between the nervous system and the outside world either by stimulating or by recording from neural tissue to treat or assist people with sensory, motor, or other disabilities of neural function. Although electrical stimulation systems...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of neuroscience 2009-01, Vol.32 (1), p.249-266
Main Authors: HATSOPOULOS, Nicholas G, DONOGHUE, John P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Action Potentials - physiology
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Brain
Brain - anatomy & histology
Brain - physiology
Developmental disabilities
Electrodes, Implanted - trends
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects. Models. Methods
Humans
Motor ability
Motor Cortex - physiology
Movement Disorders - physiopathology
Movement Disorders - therapy
Nervous system
Neurobiology
Neurons
Neurons - physiology
Prostheses and Implants - trends
Robotics - methods
Robotics - trends
Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation
User-Computer Interface
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
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Summary:The ultimate goal of neural interface research is to create links between the nervous system and the outside world either by stimulating or by recording from neural tissue to treat or assist people with sensory, motor, or other disabilities of neural function. Although electrical stimulation systems have already reached widespread clinical application, neural interfaces that record neural signals to decipher movement intentions are only now beginning to develop into clinically viable systems to help paralyzed people. We begin by reviewing state-of-the-art research and early-stage clinical recording systems and focus on systems that record single-unit action potentials. We then address the potential for neural interface research to enhance basic scientific understanding of brain function by offering unique insights in neural coding and representation, plasticity, brain-behavior relations, and the neurobiology of disease. Finally, we discuss technical and scientific challenges faced by these systems before they are widely adopted by severely motor-disabled patients.
ISSN:0147-006X
1545-4126
DOI:10.1146/annurev.neuro.051508.135241