Nature’s Scientific Reports paper reports first demonstration of
graded control of muscle contraction in a paralyzed limb
The newest achievement of NeuroLife
takes science a step closer to realistically fixing paralysis.
A collaborative team of scientists and doctors from Battelle
and the Ohio
State University Wexner Medical Center have published a peer-reviewed
scientific paper this week in Scientific Reports, a Nature
publication where they describe experiments that show a quadriplegic
study participant smoothly controlling movement through a continuum of
states and generating precise levels of force using a brain-computer
interface.
For a system such as NeuroLife to be practical for everyday use, those
who need it must have smooth control of muscle movements and force
delivery. For instance, when picking up a paper cup, the user needs to
exert enough force to lift the cup but not so much that they crush it.
For natural fine motor control of paralyzed limbs, there must be a full
range of willful, graded muscle control.
“Enabling users to precisely grade their muscle contractions expands the
possible uses of the NeuroLife technology and opens the door for
handling delicate objects,” said David Friedenberg, lead author of the
paper and head of the Battelle’s NeuroLife Algorithms team.
Until now, the Battelle/OSU team has
demonstrated that the NeuroLife system can produce complex functional
movements driven by the thoughts of the study’s first participant,
Ian Burkhart. Though he can do a variety of tasks, they’ve been a fixed
number of discrete movements—with a binary “off or on, black or white”
amount of force.
The 27-year-old Dublin, Ohio native was paralyzed in a diving accident
in 2010 that resulted in quadriplegia and who volunteered to participate
in the study three years later. NeuroLife was invented at Battelle and
physicians and neuroscientists from Ohio State recruited Burkhart and
sponsor the clinical study. Ohio State’s Dr. Ali Rezai implanted a tiny
chip known as a Utah Array, manufactured by Blackrock
Microsystems, into the left motor cortex of Burkhart’s brain. It
serves as a listening device that captures neural activity in the part
of Burkhart’s brain that governs hand movements.
In June of 2014, Burkhart first demonstrated the success of the neural
bypass technology when he was able to open and close his formerly
paralyzed hand by thinking about it. The Utah Array recorded neural
impulses with a computer that decoded and recoded them and then to a
sleeve around Burkhart’s forearm that created voluntary and functional
control through electrical stimulation.
Since then, Burkhart has moved on to be able to perform many functional
tasks such as swiping a credit card and playing video games. But he
hasn’t been able to modulate the amount of force exerted by his muscles.
Now, he and the NeuroLife team are proving that the next step toward
functional control is achievable.
“Over that past three years, Ian has dramatically improved from initial
rough movements of simple opening and closing of his hands, to much more
fluid, sophisticated and precise movements of individual fingers,” said
Dr. Rezai. “Ian is also able to perform dynamic movements with grasping
and manipulating objects of different sizes and shapes with gradations
in the force of his grip. This study demonstrates the significant
potential and capabilities of brain computer interface technology to
improve function and help patients with disabilities.”
Authors of this study include Battelle’s David Friedenberg, Gaurav
Sharma, Michael Schwemmer, Andrew Landgraf, Nicholas Annetta, Mingming
Zhang and Herb Bresler; Marcia Bockbrader, Ali Rezai and Jerry Mysiw
from Ohio State and Chad Bouton from the Feinstein Institute.
About Battelle
Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to
solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national
laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and
development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical
services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in
Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national
security, health and life sciences, energy and environmental industries.
For more information, visit www.battelle.org.
Media Contacts
For more information contact T.R. Massey at (614) 424-5544 or at masseytr@battelle.org
or Eileen Scahill (614) 293-3737 or at Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu.
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