Funded Awards

Brain-computer interfaces and neuroprosthetics have provided a significant benefit to patients with cervical spinal cord injuries. However, current technology is limited in its abilities to allow the user to control how much force is exerted by the prosthesis and to provide sensory feedback from the prosthetic hand. In a public-private collaboration with Blackrock Microsystems, Dr. Boninger and colleagues are looking to improve the dexterity of neuroprostheses by incorporating microstimulation of the somatosensory cortex. This stimulation could provide tactile feedback to the user and hopefully allow the user to better control the force applied. Ultimately, this approach will improve the dexterity and control of prosthetic limbs used by patients with spinal cord injuries.

Essential tremor (ET) is an incurable, degenerative brain disorder that results in increasingly debilitating tremor. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is used as an effective treatment for ET, but the continuous brain stimulation provided by current DBS methods is likely unnecessary given the intermittent nature of ET symptoms, and may underlie DBS-induced side effects such as slurred speech and difficulty walking. It also may unnecessarily hasten the need for surgery to replace depleted DBS batteries. In this project, Gunduz and Foote propose to use modern DBS devices capable of recording and stimulating simultaneously, to continuously monitor brain activity and deliver stimulation only when necessary to control tremor. This work may provide proof-of-concept for the first chronic closed-loop DBS system for the treatment of a debilitating movement disorder in humans.

While Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) devices can alleviate symptomology of patients with chronic conditions like Parkinson’s disease, appropriate placement is paramount and challenging, particularly for directional stimulating leads. Dr. Austin plans to develop and test CranialProgrammer, image-guided software that uses local field potentials to help clinicians map patient brain regions for optimal placement of DBS leads. In partnership with NeuroTargeting, LLC, the software will integrate with the implanted DBS system of Parkinson’s patients to allow visualization of patient data coupled with imaging technologies. This software could dramatically improve the ability of neurologists to program directional DBS leads, providing therapeutic benefit to myriad DBS patients.

Despite providing significant restoration of the ability to hear speech, cochlear implants have been limited in their ability to restore full hearing, particularly in loud environments or situations when multiple sounds are present at once. Drs. Lim, Oxenham, Franklin, Rieth, Solzbacher, and Lenarz are exploring a new, auditory nerve implant device and surgical techniques with the potential to improve upon current cochlear implants in humans. This new device will directly target the auditory nerve, which connects the cochlea to the brainstem. The researchers, who will also be developing a new surgical technique for implantation and validate efficacy and safety, hope that this will allow for improved hearing, including speech and music.

Currently, a recently developed retinal prosthesis, the Argus® II, restores vision to over 200 patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Argus II electrically stimulates the retina, inducing visual perception. However, retinal implants can only help a small subset of the millions of people suffering from profound blindness. In this early feasibility clinical trial, Greenberg’s team will implant (and test) a prosthesis on the medial surface of the visual cortex. Building on the platform of the Argus II, the proposed prosthesis will electrically stimulate the visual cortex, to restore visual perception. This project could help restore useful vision to many people with blindness from disorders like diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma, or damage to the eyes, optic nerve, or thalamus.