The Neural-Enabled Prosthetic Hand (NEPH) system marks first time bidirectional prosthesis can be used in home setting – ScienceDaily



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Arizona State University researcher James Abbas is part of a multi-institutional research team that has developed a new, fully integrated, wirelessly controlled neurostimulator that has restored "feeling" to a person with a hand amputation.

The research, announced today at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, marks the first time with a neural-enabled prosthetic hand (NEPH) system that can be used outside the laboratory, a real-world environment . Controlled commercially-available prosthetic hand systems currently in the marketplace of the motor neurotransmitters, the NEPH system works in a bidirectional system that stimulates small groups of sensory fibers in the user's peripheral nerves providing him has sensation of touch.

For the first time, the NEPH system user can badess whether he has touched something, "feel" the hand opening and closing and even badesses how well he is getting an item of fiber in his residual limb are stimulated by the fine wires implanted inside the nerves.

Abbas, an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Ira Fulton Schools of Engineering, Ranu Jung more than ten years ago while working in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering at ASU.

"Abbas, who directs ASU's Center for Adaptive Neural Systems and has expertise in neural engineering techniques and medical rehabilitation technology." "All of the components are either mounted on the prosthesis or implanted in the body." The system is familiar to the body. and fingers he's lost. "

The team's research builds on the pioneering work of FIU research professor Kenneth Horch, and extends the sensing technology beyond the lab.

"The participant has reported on how to deal with the problem, how to deal with it, how do you feel about it?" it? "said Jung, professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Florida International University. "I am so grateful to the participant for believing in our research and giving us the opportunity to work with our technology.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an investigational device for the first-in-human trial of the NEPH system in 2016. The trial participant, who previously underwent a transradial, upper limb amputation, received the surgical implant NEPH system about 8 months ago. The surgery was performed by Dr. Aaron Berger and his team from Nicklaus Children's Hospital. After a period of laboratory-based experiments using the system and fitting procedures, he has used the system on a daily basis in his home for four months.

This NEPH system is the first in a range of possibilities for medical advances using similar neural-stimulating devices. In the future, the application of the technology to stimulate sensation in the lower limb amputations.

Additionally, the team hopes to contribute to the growing field of bioelectronic medicine, which targets and stimulates neurons to treat metabolic diseases. The team's success with implanting long-term wireless use, peripheral nerve stimulation technology may have substantial clinical implications in the future.

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Materials provided by Arizona State University. Note: Content can be edited for style and length.

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