Advanced Electrical Stimulation Technology for Neuroprostheses and Neuromodulation Applications

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Neuromodulation is an intervention that applies electrical stimulation to different parts of the brain, and by doing so treats different diseases of the brain. For example, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease can be completely supressed by electrically stimulating neuronal circuits in the subthalamic nucleus or globus pallidus. Similarly, repeated reaching and grasping movements that are produced by electrically stimulating upper limb muscles, can help retrain the brain of stroke and spinal cord injury patients to relearn how to reach and grasp objects on their own. The electrical stimulators that are presently used in neuromodulation applications offer limited opportunities to alter the stimulation parameters in real-time. It is virtually impossible to connect sensors in closed-loop configuration with the existing stimulators to regulate their outputs based on sensory inputs. Yet, there is emerging evidence that by introducing close-loop control capabilities new and more sophisticated neuromodulation therapies could be developed.