BattelleNeuroLife

IB: The current version of the system is only used in the lab with mixed company. However I’m sure we will be discussing your question during our next meeting.

IB: Unfortunately this phase of the study is not currently enrolling, but hopefully will be accepting subjects in the fall pending future funding. To learn more about eligibility criteria look on ClinicalTrials.gov Or contact Erin Woodburn [email protected]

IB: The system allows me to move my arm almost the same as I could prior to my spinal cord injury. The machine is simply making up for the lost connection between my brain and my hand. If I/we wanted to become more machine than man it would involve a robotic approach that could give me superhuman strength and reflexes so I could take over the world.

IB: The implant required one surgery to place the micro electrode array (MEA) into the motor cortex. This location was selected after using fMRI. In order to bring home the system we will need portable equipment to translate neural signals to the stimulation sleeve.

Another surgery will be required to remove the MEA when the study is completed.

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MAB: The brain “chip” we use is a Blackrock Microsystems Utah microelectrode array. For the implantable hardware, see: https://blackrockmicro.com/neuroscience-research-projects/human-research-systems/ Or follow: @BlackrockMicro

There is always neuroinflammation after chip implantation, but eventually a scar forms around the electrodes. The scar CAN be a problem for recording the brain, but we’ve been able to work around it and get good recordings for about 5 years. No immunosuppressant drugs are needed to prevent rejection. The most important ways to minimize inflammation are to: (1) prevent/treat infections immediately, whether they are from the urinary tract, skin or other body areas; (2) take probiotics (several lines of evidence suggest that gut health affects the central nervous system; (3) manage stress (again, there’s a link between stress and whole body inflammation; (4) optimize nutrition (there is evidence that low sugar, high omega 3 diets are anti-inflammatory); and maybe even (5) take melatonin every night at bedtime.

As the physician-researcher on the team (MAB), one of my jobs is to keep Ian healthy and catch infections early.

The bypass all happens outside Ian’s body, going through a computer workstation, decoder software, and a wearable muscle stimulator that is calibrated to activate forearm muscles that generate the movement that Ian thinks about doing. Because none of these parts are implanted, we can reanimate Ian’s paralyzed arm without worrying about rejection of implants in his arm or hand.