Ipsilateral Motor Cortex Neuroprosthetic Control for Stroke Recovery

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are ineffective for subjects with motor impairments due to unilateral stroke, as they rely on signals from the contralateral motor cortex, which is often injured, and lack understanding of ipsilateral motor cortex processing, limiting their ability to control body parts on the same side as the affected hemisphere.

Innovation Solution

A neuroprosthetic system that utilizes electrophysiological signals from the unaffected hemisphere to control body parts on the same side, employing electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals to decode and translate brain activity into commands for controlling devices, such as robotic limbs, without relying on normal output pathways.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional BCI methods use signals from the contralateral motor cortex to control body parts, then device control is achieved, but the system becomes ineffective for subjects with unilateral stroke as the contralateral motor cortex is often injured

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveeffectiveness of BCI controlVSAvoidapplicability to stroke patients

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the conventional BCI approach by using signals from the ipsilateral motor cortex (same side as the body part) instead of the contralateral motor cortex. This inversion allows stroke patients with damaged contralateral motor cortex to control their affected limb using brain signals from the intact ipsilateral hemisphere, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of manufacture

If functional studies use conventional techniques with limited spatial or temporal resolution to study ipsilateral hand movements, then research can be conducted, but definitive understanding of cortical processing cannot be achieved

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefeasibility of functional studiesVSAvoidresolution of cortical processing measurement

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the brain into distinct hemispheres and identifies specific cortical regions within the ipsilateral hemisphere that process motor information for the same-side body parts. By using high-resolution ECoG electrodes placed on the cortical surface, the system segments and measures activity from specific cortical areas, achieving both feasibility and definitive understanding of ipsilateral motor processing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10596014B2Methods and systems for controlling body parts and devices using ipsilateral motor cortex and motor related cortex

Publication Date: 2020.03.24 WASHINGTON UNIV IN SAINT LOUIS

AI summary

A system for controlling a body part includes a number of sensing devices that sense signals from a hemisphere of a brain. A signal translating unit translates the signals into a command signal for controlling the body part, which is on a same side of the body as the hemisphere of the brain. A prosthetic device receives the command signal from the signal translating unit and manipulates the body part in response to the command signal.