Intro to Neural Engineering

Claire Mitchell Ben Pedigo

BioE Senior BioE Senior
Steele Lab (Mech E) Moritz Lab (Rehab Med & PBio)
 Overview
● A few examples
Neural engineering: “using math
and science to solve problems ● Ben’s research
related to the nervous system” ● Claire’s research
This approach is important for improving ● Opportunities at UW
the ability of patients with sensory or
motor impairments to interact with the
world
Credit Dr. Lise Johnson
Scope of Neural Engineering
Neural Engineering problems occur at
multiple levels of organization - from the
cellular level to the level of the organism
These problems can be addressed from
either within or outside of the system:
● Identify how to repair the solution
● Replace the system with a man made
version
● Combination of repairing and replacing
the system
Deep-brain stimulation
● Often implanted for diseases
characterized by abnormal muscle
action (Parkinson’s, Essential
Tremor, Dystonia)
● Little is known about the
mechanisms by which it works
● Also being investigated for
treatment of OCD, depression,
and chronic pain
Targeted
Reinnervation
Nerves from the missing
limb are rearranged
within the residual limb
during surgery
Separation between
afferent and efferent
nerves can occur
Herbert et al. 2014
Neural control of robotic arms
● Electrode arrays implanted in the
motor cortex of patient with
spinocerebral degeneration
● Intent to move is decoded from
firing rates of neurons
Collinger et al. 2013
● Used to control a robotic arm
Neural
control of
robotic arm
Collinger et al.
2013
Trans-
cutaneous
spinal
stimulation
Edgerton Lab, UCLA
(2014)
Optogenetic spinal cord stimulation
● Optogenetics may provide
more effective spinal
stimulation
● Genetically manipulate
cells to express light-gated
ion channels
● Spinal cord neurons
become light-sensitive, use
LED implant to stimulate in
live animal model
Optimizing optogenetic spinal stimulation
After spinal
● Optogenetic stimulation
cord injury caused damage to spinal cord
in past study
Damage ● Aim to improve biocompatibility
of our stimulation methods
● Optogenetics may induce
After spinal plasticity in spinal cord,
cord injury + improving motor function
optogenetic
stim.
Muscle Synergies
Muscle Synergies are a theory from neuroscience describing
how we coordinate muscles to produce movement
● Calculated by gathering electromyography (EMG) signals
during walking
● These signals are decomposed into synergy outputs that
reveal the complexity of the EMG patterns
Muscle Synergies
Muscle Synergies are a patient specific measurement that can indicate controls
levels for patients post stroke or those with cerebral palsy
● Important to know how individual muscles affect synergy analysis
● Presentation of synergies is vital for clinicians to be able to make informed
decisions
Solution: Calculate the effects of the number and choice of EMG patterns in
synergy analysis and build a graphical user interface to display synergy results in
an easily understood way
How to get involved at UW
Synaptech: Interdisciplinary,
events-based neural engineering club,
no prior experience necessary
First neural tech workshop: Thursday,
November 9th, 3:30 PM at CSNE
tinyurl.com/synaptech
bpedigo@uw.edu clairem9@uw.edu
SOME areas of investigation
● Tissue interfacing
● Decoding/encoding
neural signals
● Cost and invasiveness
● Ethical concerns
Hochberg et al 2012
Polikov et al. 2005