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Published December 26, 2019 | Published
Journal Article Open

From thought to action: The brain–machine interface in posterior parietal cortex

Abstract

A dramatic example of translational monkey research is the development of neural prosthetics for assisting paralyzed patients. A neuroprosthesis consists of implanted electrodes that can record the intended movement of a paralyzed part of the body, a computer algorithm that decodes the intended movement, and an assistive device such as a robot limb or computer that is controlled by these intended movement signals. This type of neuroprosthetic system is also referred to as a brain–machine interface (BMI) since it interfaces the brain with an external machine. In this review, we will concentrate on BMIs in which microelectrode recording arrays are implanted in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), a high-level cortical area in both humans and monkeys that represents intentions to move. This review will first discuss the basic science research performed in healthy monkeys that established PPC as a good source of intention signals. Next, it will describe the first PPC implants in human patients with tetraplegia from spinal cord injury. From these patients the goals of movements could be quickly decoded, and the rich number of action variables found in PPC indicates that it is an appropriate BMI site for a very wide range of neuroprosthetic applications. We will discuss research on learning to use BMIs in monkeys and humans and the advances that are still needed, requiring both monkey and human research to enable BMIs to be readily available in the clinic.

Additional Information

© 2019 The Author(s). Published under the PNAS license. Edited by Robert H. Wurtz, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, and approved July 25, 2019 (received for review February 28, 2019). We wish to thank participants E.G.S., N.S., L.D., F.G., and J.J. for their work and dedication, Kelsie Pejsa for administrative assistance, and Viktor Shcherbatyuk for technical assistance. We thank the NIH, the NSF, the Department of Defense, the T&C Chen Institute, the Boswell Foundation, and the Swartz Foundation for support. Author contributions: R.A.A., T.A., and S.K. designed research; T.A. and S.K. performed research; T.A. and S.K. analyzed data; and R.A.A., T.A., and S.K. wrote the paper. The authors declare no conflict of interest. This paper results from the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium of the National Academy of Sciences, "Using Monkey Models to Understand and Develop Treatments for Human Brain Disorders," held January 7–8, 2019, at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering in Irvine, CA. NAS colloquia began in 1991 and have been published in PNAS since 1995. From February 2001 through May 2019 colloquia were supported by a generous gift from The Dame Jillian and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, & Humanities, in memory of Dame Sackler's husband, Arthur M. Sackler. The complete program and video recordings of most presentations are available on the NAS website at http://www.nasonline.org/using-monkey-models. This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.

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August 19, 2023
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October 18, 2023