A new hope for the paralyzed
Inclined matrices of implantable electrodes are an effective means for restoring mobility of paralyzed limbs
DailyTechInfo based on OSU materials: Precise nerve stimulation via electrode implants offers new hope for paralysis patients
Technologies for restoring the connections between the brain and the nerve nodes of the limbs of the body that have been severed as a result of injury or illness are getting closer and closer to reality, as evidenced by some successful experiments conducted by neuroscientists recently. A group of researchers from the University of Oregon (Oregon State University, OSU) has made a contribution to this matter, which has developed new highly efficient matrices of implanted electrodes. The use of such matrices will allow not only to bypass spinal cord injuries, but also to ensure the functioning of high-tech prostheses of various types.
We remind our readers that the main cause of limb paralysis is the rupture of nerve connections, which usually occurs in the spinal cord as a result of injury or disease. At the same time, the nerve tissues and muscles of the paralyzed limbs or other parts of the body remain in full working capacity and health. And to restore mobility, you only need to bypass the damaged areas of the nervous system.
In their experiments, the scientists introduced matrices of 100 USEA (Utah Slanted Electrode Array) electrodes, with an area of 16 square millimeters, into the nerve tissues of the limb of an experimental animal, a cat in this case. The matrix consists of electrodes of different heights, which ensures its contact with different layers of nerve tissues.
The electrodes of one matrix were connected to a specialized Proportional-Integral-Velocity (PIV) controller, which, based on the analysis of the input data flow, provided the corresponding electrical impulses to individual electrodes of the second matrix connected to the nervous system below the artificial rupture site. And as a result of all this, the cat regained the ability to move its limb, while the movements performed were quite smooth.
Unlike the similar work of Swiss scientists who used wireless technologies, in the case of a system created in OSU, some kind of intermediate device is required to organize communication. With proper approach to this, the size of the neural signal translator device can be reduced to the size of a small mobile phone. And, despite some inconveniences with wires, a wired connection provides greater speed and greater reliability of the transmission of nerve signals, which has a positive effect on the quality of the movements performed.
"We hope that practical solutions based on such nerve impulse transmission systems will appear on the market in a maximum of five to ten years," says V. John Mathews (V John Mathews), a professor at the University of Oregon, – and even those few steps or simple movements that a paralyzed person can make with the help of the first samples of new devices can literally turn his life around radically."
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15.12.2016