Project description
Neuroprosthesis coordination according to the sleep-wake cycle
Technology to restore lost nervous system function has the potential to provide autonomy and improve quality of life. Neuroprosthetic devices employ electronic components to transmit electronic signals to the nervous system and can substitute for impaired motor, sensory or cognitive functions in various disorders. The EU-funded MoRPHEUS project aims to develop a novel neuroprosthetic approach that monitors brain activity and delivers electrical stimulation according to the sleep-wake cycle (SWC). Researchers will employ a rat model to record the SWC pattern of brain activity and test the coordinated delivery of electrical stimulation as a means of achieving motor rehabilitation in injured animals. Results have important clinical consequences especially for the rehabilitation of stroke patients.
Objective
Brain lesions such as stroke and traumatic brain injury are a major cause of adult-onset disability. Physical therapy, together with robotic aided rehabilitation, is the gold standard for promoting motor recovery. Yet, half of the affected individuals do not fully recover their daily living skills. Hope is provided by advanced neuroprosthetic devices, acting directly at the brain level to promote plasticity, but to date, they still fall short of producing long-lasting brain rewiring. The often neglected but close relationship between sleep, neural plasticity, pathogenesis, and recovery can constitute a key factor to advance treatment. Within this framework, the primary goal of this project is to devise and test a novel neuroprosthetic approach that monitors brain activity and the sleep-wake cycle (SWC) in order to deliver responsive and engineered electrical stimulation (ES) coded in time. To do this, we aim to: 1) investigate SWC architecture in animal models of brain lesion to better understand pathological modifications and to find privileged windows of neural plasticity to deliver therapeutic ES; 2) design, build, and test a closed-loop system capable of recording, processing and detecting SWC stages and electrographic events of interest (e.g. spindles), and also of delivering coordinated ES, including activity-dependent and time-coded stimulation, and; 3) evaluate the designed approach regarding its efficacy in providing long-lasting, robust, and safe motor rehabilitation to injured animals, while also obtaining a proof-of-concept in humans. Highly complementary skills from fellow and host will cooperate to carry in vivo electrophysiology experiments and technological development, while translational pilot experiments will be performed in close collaboration with partners in the medical field. Finally, secondments will provide additional training on state-of-the-art engineering of closed-loop systems and entrepreneurship in neurotechnology.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine physiotherapy
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology implants
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
16163 GENOVA
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.