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Arizona State University researcher, James Abbas, is part of a multi-institutional research team that has developed a new prosthetic system with a fully implanted and wirelessly controlled neurostimulator, which has restored the "felt" of an amputee.
The research, announced today at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, marks the first time that a person is equipped with a neural prosthetic system (NEPH) that can be used outside of the body. of the laboratory in a real and real environment. Unlike commercially available prosthetic hand systems currently on the market that only send electrical signals from muscles to drive motors to open and close, the NEPH system operates in a bi-directional system that stimulates small groups of sensory fibers. in the peripheral nerves of the user. him a feeling of touch.
For the first time, the NEPH system user can determine if he has touched something, "feel" the opening and closing of the hand and even determine how accurately he grasps an item, because the nerve fibers of its residual limb are stimulated by the fine threads implanted inside. nerves.
Abbas, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Ira A. Fulton engineering schools, began working on this integrated team effort with lead investigator Ranu Jung more than a decade ago, while he was also a professor at the ASU School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering.
"Our system is the first notebook that can be used long-term beyond the labs," said Abbas, director of the ASU's Center for Adaptive Neural Systems. He has expertise in neural engineering techniques and medical rehabilitation technology. "All the components are either mounted on the prosthesis or implanted in the body.The system is familiar to him, because it is not so different from the use and wearing of a regular prosthesis, but now, when it touches something he feels in the ghost hand and fingers, he is lost. "
The team's research builds on pioneering work by CRF research professor Kenneth Horch and extends detection technology beyond the laboratory.
"The participant reported increased confidence in the performance of daily tasks and is able to interact with surrounding objects and determine answers to sensational questions such as" Is I touched it? How hard am I to hurry him? it? "," Said Jung, professor and director of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Florida International University. "I am very grateful to the participant for believing in our research and for giving us the opportunity to work with him to test our technology. I hope it will improve his life, for the better. "
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a waiver for the first human test of the NEPH system in 2016 on search appliances. The trial participant, who had previously undergone transradial amputation of the upper limb, received the NEPH System surgical implant nearly eight months ago. The surgery was performed by Dr. Aaron Berger and his team at the Nicklaus Children's Hospital. After a period of laboratory experiments using the system and adjustment procedures, he has been using it daily at home for four months.
This NEPH system is the first of a range of medical advancement possibilities using similar neural stimulation devices. Abbas plans to apply this technology in the future to stimulate sensation in the much larger population of lower limb amputees.
In addition, the team hopes that their work will contribute to the rapidly expanding field of bioelectronic medicine, which targets and stimulates neurons to treat metabolic or digestive diseases and relieves pain rather than taking drugs to regulate biological processes. . The team's success in implementing long-term wireless peripheral nerve stimulation technology could have important clinical implications in the future.
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Material provided by University of the State of Arizona. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
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