"Present implantable neural recording systems are passive devices, using a large bundle of wire and requiring the skull to stay still during the recording session," said Mojarradi. "Wireless devices allow recording of neural signals without restricting motion. Once this restriction is removed, we can look at complex motor functions and the neural circuits involved and potentially develop even larger highly advanced brain-machine systems."
The wireless device under development at JPL uses an array of analog, low-noise amplifiers that amplify signals from microelectrodes, an on-board processor, and a two-way radio link, which acts as a telemeter. A microprocessor interacts with the two-way radio link and can be remotely programmed to detect and sort the neural signals received by the prosthetic device. The device is designed to be placed under the skin on the skull and connected to recording electrodes in the cortex. These electrodes amplify and transmit the recorded signals from the brain through the wireless telemeter.
The researchers say the next step in their research is to create a single system-on-a-chip device by combining the analog array of amplifiers with the microprocessor and wireless link. Mojarradi and his team believe such a highly miniaturized system could lead to the development of a permanent implant to assist patients suffering from paralysis and other brain disorders.
In other work, Cyberkinetics, Inc., in Foxborough, Mass., is working with the Brown University team headed by Mijail D. Serruya, to develop an implantable BCI called BrainGate for clinical use in human patients. BrainGate is designed to enable patients who have lost the use of their hands to master
'"/>
Contact: Dawn McCoy
dawn@sfn.org
202-462-6688
Society for Neuroscience
10-Nov-2003