A new implantable device sending signals between regions of the brain or nervous system can help many people with spinal cord injuries or have experienced strokes to have their mobility improved or restored.
“There is an unmet need especially with an aging population of baby boomers, to develop the next generation of medical devices to help people with progressive or traumatic neurological conditions, reports Rajesh Rao, Director of the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE) www.csne-erc.org at the University of Washington www.washington.edu.
The National Science Foundation www.nsf.gov recently awarded CSNE $16 million over the next four years to support research on implantable devices that will be able to promote brain plasticity and reanimate paralyzed limbs.
The researchers at the University of Washington’s CSNE plus researchers from MIT, San Diego State University along with other partners are supporting development of implantable devices that can send signals between regions of the brain or nervous system that have been disconnected due to injury.
CSNE was founded in 2011 with an $18.5 million NSF grant. Since then, researchers have been able to develop bi-directional implantable devices that can both pick up brain signals and send information to other parts of the nervous system.
CSNE is working to improve implantable technologies such as deep brain stimulators used to treat Parkinson’s disease and tremors. These typically deliver electric pulses to the brain at an appropriate frequency that can be adjusted by a physician to achieve the desired effect.
The researchers and industry partners are working on the next generation of closed loop implantable devices that can monitor the brain and deliver targeted electrical stimulation only when needed.