Cortical basis of complex motor sequences in humans for neural interfaces

项目总结 皮质内脑机接口(IBCI)可以恢复重症患者丧失的功能 由于神经损伤或疾病导致的言语和运动障碍(SSMI)。尽管有巨大的 最近的进展，IBCI的表现仍然远远低于健全的人。在之前的NIH- 在研究的支持下，我们的合作团队开发了一种高性能的皮质内大脑- 计算机接口(IBCI)，直接从大脑活动中解码手臂的运动意图。 这项技术使拥有SSMI的人能够以足够的速度控制计算机光标 打字速度和精确度高达8字/分钟，并实现了对未修改的 只使用解码的运动皮质活动的消费设备。在建议的U01临床 研究，我们将为该领域迈出重要的下一步：研究神经系综 在只有人才能执行的复杂任务期间进行编码(即，任意移动 四肢和身体部位的组合，以及笔迹)。这项工作将建立在几十年来 研究人类和非人类灵长类动物运动系统的经验，最终目标 先进的IBCI技术，并将作为多站点BrainGate的一部分执行 财团。我们建议在“粗略”和“精细”两个尺度上详细研究震前 脑回(PCG；“运动皮质”)产生复杂的运动。我们的调查将基于 我们实验室的两个新的关键发现：1)PCG的一小块区域编码运动 所有四个肢体都以一种“构图”的方式，允许区分单独的肢体和运动 对维度进行编码，以及2)复杂、灵活的动作，如手写可以 从瘫痪患者的心音图中准确解码出来。这些详细的结果 基础神经科学研究将使我们能够设计和演示两个完整的 新iBCI：一种在虚拟现实中帮助恢复全身连续运动的系统 和显著提高屏幕文本生成速度的系统 (‘手写IBCI’)。最后，我们将继续评估犹他州ARRAY的安全性 IBCI通过正在进行的BrainGate2试点临床试验，特别强调关键 神经伦理学方面的考虑。建成后，该项目将提升以下两种能力 IBCI对功能丧失恢复的作用及我们对其详细神经机制的理解 复杂的动作。

PROJECT SUMMARY Intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) can restore lost function for people with severe speech and motor impairment (SSMI) due to neurological injury or disease. Despite tremendous recent progress, iBCI performance remains well below that of able-bodied people. In prior NIH- supported research, our collaborative team developed a high-performance intracortical brain- computer interface (iBCI) that decodes arm movement intentions directly from brain activity. This technology has allowed people with SSMI to control a computer cursor with sufficient speed and accuracy to type at up to 8 words/min and has enabled full control of unmodified consumer devices using only decoded motor cortical activity. In the proposed U01 clinical research, we will take an important next step for the field: investigating neural ensemble encoding during complex tasks that only people are capable of performing (i.e., moving arbitrary combinations of limbs and body parts, and handwriting). This work will build upon decades of experience in studying the motor system in humans and non-human primates, with the end goal of advancing iBCI technology, and will be performed as part of the multi-site BrainGate consortium. We propose to study in detail, at 'coarse' and 'fine' scales, how the Precentral Gyrus (PCG; “motor cortex”) generates complex movements. We will base our investigations on two new key discoveries from our lab: 1) that a small area of the PCG encodes movements of all 4 limbs in a ‘compositional’ way, allowing differentiation of separate limb and movement encoding dimensions, and 2) that complex, dexterous movements such as handwriting can be accurately decoded from the PCG of people with paralysis. The results of these detailed fundamental neuroscience studies will enable us to then design and demonstrate two entirely new iBCIs: a system for helping restore continuous motion of the entire body in virtual reality (‘Whole-Body iBCI') and a system to substantially increase on-screen text generation speed (‘Handwriting iBCI’). Finally, we will continue to evaluate the safety profile of Utah-array based iBCIs through the ongoing BrainGate2 pilot clinical trial, with particular emphasis on critical neuroethics considerations. Upon completion, this project will advance both the capabilities of iBCIs for restoration of lost function and our understanding of the detailed neural mechanisms of complex movements.