R01NS125270

The interplay between kinematic and force representations in motor and somatosensory cortices during reaching, grasping, and object transport - Project Summary

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) have achieved remarkable progress over the last decade, including the direct control of sophisticated anthropomorphic robotic arms and the incorporation of tactile feedback. However, the dexterity of current brain-controlled prosthetic limbs is limited in two important ways.

First, most neuroprosthetic control involves decoding kinematics from the responses of neurons in primary motor cortex (M1). While this approach has been successful for controlling the proximal arm (shoulder and elbow) to place and orient the hand, it is fundamentally inadequate for hand control and interactions with objects, which requires not only orienting the wrist and shaping the digits but also applying appropriate forces. This problem is complicated by the fact that force and kinematic signals as well as hand and arm signals are all intermingled in the neural population activity in M1. Furthermore, hand and arm representations of force and kinematics seem to depend on the task, as evidenced by the fact that decoders developed for one task fail to generalize to another.

Second, tactile feedback is critical to manual behavior as evidenced by the severe deficits that result from deafferentation. To achieve dexterous control of a prosthetic arm thus also requires restoration of tactile feedback. One promising approach is intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of somatosensory cortex (S1), which evokes vivid tactile percepts experienced on the (otherwise insensate) hand. There is a growing consensus that mimicking naturalistic patterns of neuronal activation will lead to more natural tactile percepts and more dexterous hand use. However, the neural basis of touch has been studied almost exclusively with stimuli passively presented to the unmoving hand, which precludes any understanding of how motor behavior shapes S1 responses and hinders the development of biomimetic encoding algorithms.

To fill these gaps, we will have non-human primates (NHPs) perform prehensile behaviors in which we systematically vary hand and arm kinematics and forces, and measure the time-varying postures of the entire limb and the forces exerted on objects, including contact forces at each digit. We seek to characterize (1) signals in M1 relating to kinematics and forces exerted by the arm and hand; (2) signals in S1 relating to active interactions with objects; and (3) signals transferred between M1 and S1. We propose to apply well-established encoding and decoding techniques to investigate the relationship between neural responses and movement parameters as well as a novel dynamical systems analysis.

The resulting insights into the neural mechanisms of prehension will lead to (1) the development of decoders of intended limb state from M1 responses that include both kinematics and force control and generalize across behavioral tasks; (2) biomimetic sensory encoding algorithms informed by an understanding of active touch representations in S1. The research team is uniquely poised to test the resulting decoders and sensory encoding algorithms in human BCI participants as part of an ongoing clinical trial at both sites through an ongoing NIH-funded project.

University Of Chicago

(1) TO SUPPORT EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE (NINDS) INCLUDING: BASIC RESEARCH THAT EXPLORES THE FUNDAMENTAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE BRAIN AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND THE CAUSES AND ORIGINS OF PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM WITH THE GOAL OF PREVENTING THESE DISORDERS, RESEARCH ON THE NATURAL COURSE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS, IMPROVED METHODS OF DISEASE PREVENTION, NEW METHODS OF DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT, DRUG DEVELOPMENT, DEVELOPMENT OF NEURAL DEVICES, CLINICAL TRIALS, AND RESEARCH TRAINING IN BASIC, TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE. THE INSTITUTE IS THE LARGEST FUNDER OF BASIC NEUROSCIENCE IN THE US AND SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON TOPICS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: DEVELOPMENT OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, INCLUDING NEUROGENESIS AND PROGENITOR CELL BIOLOGY, SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION IN DEVELOPMENT AND PLASTICITY, AND PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH, SYNAPSE FORMATION, FUNCTION, AND PLASTICITY, LEARNING AND MEMORY, CHANNELS, TRANSPORTERS, AND PUMPS, CIRCUIT FORMATION AND MODULATION, BEHAVIORAL AND COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, SENSORIMOTOR LEARNING, INTEGRATION AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, NEUROENDOCRINE SYSTEMS, SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS, AND SENSORY AND MOTOR SYSTEMS. IN ADDITION, THE INSTITUTE SUPPORTS BASIC, TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES ON A NUMBER OF DISORDERS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM INCLUDING (BUT NOT LIMITED TO): STROKE, TRAUMATIC INJURY TO THE BRAIN, SPINAL CORD AND PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS, MOVEMENT DISORDERS, BRAIN TUMORS, CONVULSIVE DISORDERS, INFECTIOUS DISORDERS OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM, IMMUNE DISORDERS OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM, INCLUDING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, DISORDERS RELATED TO SLEEP, AND PAIN. PROGRAMMATIC AREAS, WHICH ARE PRIMARILY SUPPORTED BY THE DIVISION OF NEUROSCIENCE, ARE ALSO SUPPORTED BY THE DIVISION OF EXTRAMURAL ACTIVITIES, THE DIVISION OF TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH, THE DIVISION OF CLINICAL RESEARCH, THE OFFICE OF TRAINING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, THE OFFICE OF PROGRAMS TO ENHANCE NEUROSCIENCE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND THE OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES. (2) TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. TO UTILIZE THE SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM, TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.853 - Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NNDS) [HHS - NIH]

Chicago, Illinois 606375418 United States

Single Zip Code

NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (PA-20-185)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 366% from $649,400 to $3,023,284.