Abstract
A brain-machine interface (BMI) is a neuroprosthetic device that can restore motor function of individuals with paralysis. Although the feasibility of BMI control of upper-limb neuroprostheses has been demonstrated, a BMI for the restoration of lower-limb motor functions has not yet been developed. The objective of this study was to determine if gait-related information can be captured from neural activity recorded from the primary motor cortex of rats, and if this neural information can be used to stimulate paralysed hindlimb muscles after complete spinal cord transection. Neural activity was recorded from the hindlimb area of the primary motor cortex of six female Sprague Dawley rats during treadmill locomotion before and after mid-thoracic transection. Before spinal transection there was a strong association between neural activity and the step cycle. This association decreased after spinal transection. However, the locomotive state (standing vs. walking) could still be successfully decoded from neural recordings made after spinal transection. A novel BMI device was developed that processed this neural information in real-time and used it to control electrical stimulation of paralysed hindlimb muscles. This system was able to elicit hindlimb muscle contractions that mimicked forelimb stepping. We propose this lower-limb BMI as a future neuroprosthesis for human paraplegics.
Highlights
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neuronal dysfunction that affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide, with over 130,000 new injuries each year [1]
We developed a novel brainmachine interface (BMI) device that processed this neural information in real-time and used it to activate paralysed hindlimb muscles electrically to mimic treadmill walking
Our results on intact rats demonstrated that neuronal activity differed according to the locomotive state
Summary
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neuronal dysfunction that affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide, with over 130,000 new injuries each year [1]. SCI usually occurs due to a contusion on the spinal cord that results from a traumatic fracture or a dislocated vertebra [2]. Paralysis following SCI can completely disrupt the neural communication from the brain to the body, resulting in disability of movements. Brainmachine interface (BMI) provides a connection between the brain and an external device such as a computer cursor [6] or a robotic arm [7,8]; thereby, enabling persons with paralysis to interact directly with the external world through their natural cognition
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