THE EMERGING WORLD OF

NEUROPROSTHETICS

Presenter: Pratik JainEmail – jain.pratik37@gmail.com

Department of Electronics & TelecommunicationSavitribai Phule Pune University

Flow Of Presentation

What is Neuroprosthetics ???

Why Neuroprosthetics ???

Future of Neuroprosthetics in the world ???

Introduction Machines that can be controlled by one's thoughts.

Neuroprosthetics devices detect and translate neural activity into command sequences for computers and prostheses

Machine that can take some type of signal from the brain and convert that information into other device control such that it reflects the intentions of the user's brain.

With the parallel evolution of Neuroscience, Engineering and Computing Technology, the era of clinical Neuroprosthetics is approaching as a practical reality for people with severe motor impairment

.

Motor impairment is the partial or total loss of function of a body part, usually a limb or limbs. This may result in muscle weakness, poor stamina, lack of muscle control, or total paralysis.

Patients for whom, up to now, the field of neurosurgery has not been able to offer any substantive intervention.

These Devices will help those patients for whom, up to now, the field of neurosurgery has not been able to offer any substantive intervention in Electrophysiological Field

History of Neuroprosthetics

1500 BC- Egyptians Wooden Toes

300 BC- Italians Artificial Leg

Types of Neuroprosthetics

Neuroprosthetics can be categorized as

Output Neural prosthetics The Interfaces which convert the brain’s intentions to external actions by using Mechanical Components

Input Neural prosthetics

The Interfaces which take information from the environment and convert it into perceptions (cochlear implant and bionic eye)

Types of Neurons Sensory (afferent)

Transmits signals from Sensory Receptors to the Spinal Cord/ Brain

Motor (efferent) Transmits signals from the Brain / Spinal Cord to

muscle fibres, resulting in muscle contractions, affect glands.

Interneurons (association) Connect neurons to other neurons within the same

region of the Brain or the Spinal cord

Types of Neurons

Posterior Parietal (PP) – Visual to motor transformation

Premotor (PM) and Dorsal Premotor (PMD) - Planning and guidance (visual inputs)

Primary Motor (M1) – Initiates muscle contraction

NeoCortical Brain Areas Related to Movement

How Neuroprosthet

ics Device Works ?? Click icon to add picture

Detecting and converting The

Neuronal signals into electrical signals and

transmitting it to Neuroprosthetics

Devices

Applications

Prosthetic Arms Loss of a limb is a traumatic experience whether

through disease or accident. Limbs are the primary way in which humans interact with the world

Many amputees expect their prosthetic arm will be much more powerful than the original – due partly to science fiction!!

Strong, gentle, fast, high precision, stiffness range, sense heat and pressure and other parameters.

Must look and move as a natural limb, Arm must respond correctly to neural signals(eg: Boston Arm, Utah Arm)

Prosthetic Arms - 2 Commercial arms use Myoelectric activity measured

using surface electrodes

Electrodes typically are mounted in the limb socket.

Superimposed muscle signals are recorded, other inputs include cables and switches to convert other body movement actions

Surface electrodes now starting to be used

But this is complex + suffers from skin irritation and extraneous signal components.

Flow of Arm Prosthetics Process

Brain Computer Interface Invasive BCI – the chip is implanted directly into the grey

matter of the brain produces the highest quality signals but are prone to scar tissue build up

Scar tissue causes the signal to become weaker and even lost as the body reacts to a foreign object

100 hair thin electrodes to sense the electro-magnetic signature of neurons firing in specific areas of the brain

Brain Computer Interface - 2 Chip is implanted on the surface of the brain in the motor

cortex area, the area that controls movement of the whole body

Monitored signature is translated into electrically charged signals

Signals are then sent and decoded using a program to move cursor, robot arm via Controller etc.

Brain Computer Interface - CHIP

EEG experimental research

Experiment at University of Florida 25,000 neurons taken from the brain of a rat that are connected to a

computer via 60 electrodes.

To put the experimental brain to the test, it is connected to a jet flight simulator via the electrode grid and a desktop computer.

Neurons begin to receive information from the computer about flight conditions

The neurons analyze data from the computer, like whether the plane is flying level or is tilted to one side. Information is sent back and forth creating a feedback system

Neuroprosthetics in the field of Depression

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Paralysis

Electrophysiology

Electrophysiology is the measurements of voltage change or electric current on a wide variety of scales from single ion channel proteins to whole organs like the heart.

In neuroscience, it includes measurements of the electrical activity of neurons, and particularly action potential activity.

Electrography

Jennifer French US Sailing Paralympic Silver MedalistWhile snowboarding in 1998, French suffered a severe spinal cord injury that left her a quadriplegic. The following year she received implants that allowed her to stand and, ultimately, walk down the aisle at her wedding. She is the first woman to receive an implanted neural prosthetic device allowing her to use paralysed lower limbs.

Statistical Analysis of Neuroprosthetics

5.6 million or 1.9% population of World

More than 1.2 people have Spinal Cord Injuries

Future of Neuroprosthetics Neuroprosthetics technology offers a revolutionary

treatment for paralysis and other diseases.

Recent studies suggest that this technology have the potential to restore mobility to both upper and lower extremities and to enable range of motor tasks, from arm reaching and grasping to different work in day today life.

We envision that multidisciplinary Neuroprosthetics research will lead to the creation of whole-body neural prosthetic devices aimed at restoring full, essential mobility functions to paralyzed, MS or ALS patients.