Bionic Symbiosis: restoring manual Dexterity after paralysis via a multimodal cortical neuroprosthesis

Objetivo

The hand endows humans with unparalleled precision and versatility in interacting with objects. This marvel of dexterity is critically linked with two fundamental senses: touch and proprioception (i.e. sense of limb movement and force), which are fundamental to movement planning and execution. Arm and hand paralysis devastates the quality of life of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Recent advances in neurotechnologies and implantable brain-computer interfaces (iBCI) have demonstrated promising results in restoring limb function. However, these approaches fail to reproduce the full capabilities of control and somatosensation from the hand. Foremost, none of these technologies have succeeded in restoring proprioception, and this sensation is essential for optimized motor control. As a result, the currently available methods have failed to restore full manual dexterity and translation into clinical therapies.

Here I propose to overcome these limitations by establishing a comprehensive computational and technological framework aimed at restoring dexterous arm and hand control in humans with SCI. Uniquely, BionicDexterity will restore the sense of proprioception. In BionicDexterity, I will leverage my recent results in computer modelling and neural prosthetics to: a) synthesize existing information into in-silico computational models of tactile and proprioceptive circuits; b) use these models to inform the design of closed-loop neurotechnologies linking brain signals to bionic prosthetic control, and simultaneously deliver electrical microstimulation to the somatosensory cortex for restoring feedback; c) pioneer a fully-biomimetic and multimodal iBCI in humans; d) improve manual dexterity, sensory experience and quality of life for people with SCI.

By achieving these scientific and technological goals, BionicDexterity will foster scientific discoveries about manual dexterity in humans while opening new avenues for clinical solutions to arm paralysis.

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