Providing Brain Control of Extracorporeal Devices to Patients With Quadriplegia
Condition: Tetraplegia
MeSH terms: Quadriplegia
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This research study is being done to develop a brain controlled medical device, called a
      brain-machine interface or BMI, that will provide people with a spinal cord injury some
      ability to control an external device such as a computer cursor or robotic limb by using
      their thoughts.

      Developing a brain-machine interface (BMI) is very difficult and currently only limited
      technology exists in this area of neuroscience. The device in this study involves implanting
      very fine recording electrodes into areas of the brain that are known to create arm movement
      plans and provide hand grasping information. These movement and grasp plans would then
      normally be sent to other regions of the brain to execute the actual movements. By tying into
      those pathways and sending the movement plan signals to a computer instead, the investigators
      can translate the movement plans into actual movements by a computer cursor or robotic limb.

      The device being used in this study is called the NeuroPort Array and is surgically implanted
      in the brain. This device and the implantation procedure are experimental which means that it
      has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One NeuroPort Array consists
      of a small grid of electrodes that will be implanted in brain tissue with a small cable that
      runs from the electrode grid to a small hourglass-shaped pedestal. This pedestal is designed
      to be attached to the skull and protrude though the scalp to allow for connection with the
      computer equipment.

      The investigators hope to learn how safe and effective the NeuroPort Array is in controlling
      computer generated images and real world objects, such as a robotic arm, using imagined
      movements of the arms and hands. To accomplish this goal, two NeuroPort Arrays will be used.
    


Intervention name(s): Neural Prosthetic System
Intervention type(s): Device
Intervention description(s): The Neural Prosthetic System is primarily composed of two NeuroPort Arrays. Each array is comprised of 100 microelectrodes (1.5 mm in length) uniformly organized on a 4 mm x 4 mm silicon base that is 0.25 mm thick. Each microelectrode is insulated with Parylene-C polymer and is electrically isolated from neighboring electrodes by non-conducting glass. Each microelectrode has a platinum tip that is 100-200 microns in length and offers impedance values from 100-800 kilo-ohms. Of the 100 electrodes, 96 are wire bonded using 25 micron gold alloy insulated wires collectively sealed with a silicone elastomer. The wire bundle is potted to a printed circuit board with epoxy, the printed circuit board is inserted into the Patient Pedestal (percutaneous connector), and then the Patient Pedestal is filled with silicone elastomer. Two fine platinum reference wires are also attached to the Patient Pedestal. The Patient Pedestal is 19 mm wide at the skin interface.
Other intervention name(s): NeuroPort Array
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: neural; prosthetic; brain machine interface; brain computer interface; brain control; paralysis; tetraplegia; quadriplegia; spinal cord injury