SCH: INT: Virtual Neuroprosthesis: Restoring Autonomy to People Suffering From Neurotrauma

SCH：INT：虚拟神经假体：恢复神经创伤患者的自主权

• 批准号: 9502593
• 负责人: E Du
• 金额: $ 34.22万
• 依托单位: FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-09-15 至 2021-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9502593
• 关键词: Abate; Action Potentials; Amputees; Area; Artificial Arm; Behavioral; Biomedical Engineering; Biomedical Research; Biomimetics; Communication; Communities; Data; Disabled Persons; Electric Stimulation; Electroencephalogram; Engineering; Feedback; Frequencies; Future; Goals; Hand; Human; Implant; Implanted Electrodes; In Vitro; Instruction; Investigation; Laws; Life; Limb Prosthesis; Limb structure; Measurement; Measures; Mechanics; Microfluidics; Monitor; Muscle; Natural regeneration; Nerve; Nerve Regeneration; Nervous System Trauma; Nervous system structure; Neural Pathways; Neuraxis; Neuronal Plasticity; Neurons; Orthopedics; Perception; Performance; Periodicity; Peripheral; Peripheral Nervous System; Physiologic pulse; Process; Recruitment Activity; Research; Research Project Grants; Robotics; Scientist; Sensory; Signal Transduction; Spinal Ganglia; Spinal cord injury; Stroke; Students; Surgeon; System; Tactile; Testing; Time; Touch sensation; Trauma; Travel; Upper Extremity; afferent nerve; arm; career; comparative; cost; electric field; experience; experimental study; facsimile; grasp; haptics; human subject; improved; interest; motor control; motor function improvement; multidisciplinary; neurobehavioral; neuromuscular; neuroprosthesis; novel; novel strategies; prosthesis control; prosthetic hand; rehabilitation engineering; relating to nervous system; restoration; robot assistance; robot rehabilitation; sensor; somatosensory; virtual

By reconnecting the previously severed sense of touch, the field of neuroprosthetics has tremendous potential to substantially improve the lives of millions of amputees and disabled people worldwide. However, the rate of progress to develop neuroprosthetic limbs has been comparatively slow relative to other areas of robotics for two primary reasons: research involving neural implants with human subjects is very expensive and a lengthy process is required to obtain FDA approval to implant electrodes in human subjects. Thus, the overall goal of this project is to develop a virtual neuroprosthesis in which a facsimile of a neural implant is externalized and housed in a well-controlled microfluidic chamber, thereby abating the intrinsic limitations of highly invasive studies with neural implants. Upper limb amputee subjects will be recruited to control a dexterous artificial hand and arm with electromyogram signals while electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are simultaneously measured. Robotic grip force measurements will be biomimetically converted into electrical pulses similar to those found in the peripheral nervous system to catalyze in. vitro nerve regeneration after neurotrauma. The synergistic contributions of this multidisciplinary project will lead to a transformative understanding of the symbiotic interaction of neural plasticity within human-robotic systems. Currently, there is no systematic understanding of how tactile feedback signals can contribute to the neural regeneration of afferent neural pathways to restore somatosensation and improve motor function in amputees fitted with neuroprosthetic limbs. Tackling this problem will be a significant breakthrough for the important field of neuroprosthetics. The proposed virtual neuroprosthesis will be much less expensive and vastly simpler to obtain IRB approval to conduct research with human subjects. Through this, the research team can conduct meaningful neuroprosthetic experiments with human subjects at a fraction of the cost while accumulating significant data much quicker.

通过重新连接以前被切断的触觉，神经假肢领域具有巨大的潜力，可以大大改善全世界数百万截肢者和残疾人的生活。然而，与机器人技术的其他领域相比，开发神经假肢的进展速度相对缓慢，主要有两个原因：涉及人体神经植入的研究非常昂贵，并且需要漫长的过程才能获得 FDA 批准在人体中植入电极。科目。因此，该项目的总体目标是开发一种虚拟神经假体，其中神经植入物的复制品被外部化并容纳在控制良好的微流体室中，从而消除神经植入物的高侵入性研究的内在局限性。将招募上肢截肢者受试者，用肌电图信号控制灵巧的人造手和手臂，同时测量脑电图（EEG）信号。机器人握力测量将被仿生地转换成类似于周围神经系统中发现的电脉冲，以催化神经外伤后的体外神经再生。这个多学科项目的协同贡献将带来对人机系统内神经可塑性共生相互作用的变革性理解。目前，对于触觉反馈信号如何促进传入神经通路的神经再生，以恢复装有神经假肢的截肢者的体感和改善运动功能，还没有系统的了解。解决这个问题将是神经修复学这一重要领域的重大突破。拟议的虚拟神经假体将更加便宜，并且更容易获得 IRB 批准对人类受试者进行研究。通过这种方式，研究团队可以以一小部分成本对人类受试者进行有意义的神经假体实验，同时更快地积累重要数据。