The Reconnecting the Hand and Arm with Brain (ReHAB) Commentary on "An Integrated Brain-Machine Interface Platform With Thousands of Channels".

Robert F Kirsch,Jonathan P Miller,A Bolu Ajiboye

doi:10.2196/16339

Abstract

Intracortical brain-machine interfaces are a promising technology for allowing people with chronic and severe neurological disorders that resulted in loss of function to potentially regain those functions through neuroprosthetic devices. The penetrating microelectrode arrays used in almost all previous studies of intracortical brain-machine interfaces in people had a limited recording life (potentially due to issues with long-term biocompatibility), as well as a limited number of recording electrodes with limited distribution in the brain. Significant advances are required in this array interface to deal with the issues of long-term biocompatibility and lack of distributed recordings. The Musk and Neuralink manuscript proposes a novel and potentially disruptive approach to advancing the brain-electrode interface technology, with the potential of addressing many of these hurdles. Our commentary addresses the potential advantages of the proposed approach, as well as the remaining challenges to be addressed.

Highlights

Over the past two decades, several academic research laboratories have advanced the science and implementation of intracortical brain-machine interfaces from exclusive use in nonhuman primates to investigative use in human volunteers with chronic neurological impairments under pilot clinical trials approved through the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Researchers in these labs have successfully demonstrated that these persons can use intracortical brain-machine interfaces to command movements of a computer cursor, a robotic arm, their own arm reanimated through functional electrical stimulation, and recently speech articulation
The proposed technology (and future derived technologies) could pave the way for more widespread translation of intracortical brain-machine interfaces for medical applications in people with chronic neurological impairments

Summary

Introduction

Over the past two decades, several academic research laboratories have advanced the science and implementation of intracortical brain-machine interfaces from exclusive use in nonhuman primates to investigative use in human volunteers with chronic neurological impairments under pilot clinical trials approved through the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The penetrating microelectrode arrays used in almost all previous studies of intracortical brain-machine interfaces in people had a limited recording life (potentially due to issues with long-term biocompatibility), as well as a limited number of recording electrodes with limited distribution in the brain.

Results

Conclusion