Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
C H A P T E R 1
Introduction to Neural Interfaces
INTRodUCTIoN
Neural interfaces are one of the most exciting emerging technologies to impact biomedical research,
human health, and rehabilitation. By combining engineering and neurophysiological knowledge
with an innovative vision of biointeractive neuroprosthetics, a new generation of medical devices is
being developed to functionally link large ensembles of neural structures in the central nervous sys-
tem (CNS) directly with man-made systems. By communicating directly with the CNS, researchers
are acquiring new scientific knowledge of the mechanisms of disease and innovating treatments for
disabilities commonly encountered in the neurology clinic. These include spinal cord injury, stroke,
Parkinson's disease, deafness, and blindness, to name a few. The seamless integration of brain and
body in the healthy human makes us forget that in some diseases, normal brains can be deprived
of sensory inputs (vision, audition) or even become locked in by the body (traumatic injury to the
spinal cord or by degenerative diseases of the nervous system).
Several approaches have been proposed for dealing sensorimotor injuries of the nervous system,
and the technologies fall into one of two categories: biological- and engineering-based solutions. In
the biological category,
1
cellular and molecular techniques are being developed to regenerate and repair
the damaged or dysfunctioning tissue [
1-4
]. Although the biological approach may ultimately provide
the most natural solution to nervous system injury, the current state of research is at an early stage
(i.e., spinal cord regeneration in some cases is limited in spatial scale and often operates over long time
scales. Many of the new technologies shown on the right branch of Figure
1.1
have been developed
to focus on the facilitation (neurotrophic factors) guidance (scaffolding) of growth of existing neurons
or replacement cells (stem cells). This approach primarily works at the cellular or subcellular level of
abstraction through modification of biological signaling and growth.
1
The study of repair and regeneration of the central nervous system is quite broad and includes contributions from
molecular/cellular neuroscience, tissue engineering, and materials science. For a comprehensive review of the ap-
plication of each of these to the repair of the nervous system, see References [
1-4
].
