Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: To date, there is no effective therapy for spinal cord injury, and many patients could benefit dramatically from at least partial restoration of arm and hand function. Despite a substantial body of research investigating intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS) in frogs, rodents and cats, little is known about upper-limb responses to cervical stimulation in the primate. Here, we show for the first time that long trains of ISMS delivered to the macaque spinal cord can evoke functional arm and hand movements. Complex movements involving coordinated activation of multiple muscles could be elicited from a single electrode, while just two electrodes were required for independent control of reaching and grasping. We found that the motor responses to ISMS were described by a dual exponential model that depended only on stimulation history. We demonstrate that this model can be inverted to generate stimulus trains capable of eliciting arbitrary, graded motor responses, and could be used to restore volitional movements in a closed-loop brain-machine interface.
Source: Journal of Neural Engineering
Institutions: Newcastle University, National Institute of Neuroscience
Language: English
Topic: Spinal Cord Injury Research
Subfield: Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,325
Funder: Wellcome Trust
OpenAlex ID: W2153869492