Brain-control interfaces for sensory and motor prosthetic devices

Injury and disease to the central nervous system often leaves patients with full cognitive ability but a loss of communication between the brain and sensorimotor systems of the rest Of the body. During the past 30 years there has been tremendous progress in the development of prosthetic devices that stimulate peripheral nerves and muscles to restore movement of paralyzed limbs in these patients. However, control systems for these prosthetic devices that interface directly with brain signals carrying information about the intent to move and methods for returning sensory feedback to the brain are just beginning to be developed. We present a ceramic-based, multi-site electrode system capable of: (1) recording from large numbers of neurons across several brain regions; (2) stimulating neural tissue to restore sensory feedback; and (3) measuring local concentrations of neuromodulators. Preliminary data from the rat suggest that this system can be used to record neural signals carrying information about the intent to move and restore sensory perception. Issues relating to interfacing with the brain's hierarchical and distributed information processing systems are discussed.