Spinal Neural Interface Digitizing Signals for Bladder Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) targeting the brain face challenges due to the brain's complex three-dimensional architecture, leading to insufficient signal recording, high electrode density, and significant patient participation requirements, making them time-consuming, power-hungry, and reliant on patient compliance.
Innovation Solution
A spinal sensing and stimulating device with an electrode array supported by a substrate, capable of digitizing neural signals from the spinal cord, utilizing a data processing unit to binarize action potentials and suppress local field potentials, and delivering voltage-controlled biphasic pulses for bladder control, leveraging the simpler one-dimensional communication of the spinal cord.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If brain-machine interfaces target the brain to provide effective therapies, then therapeutic effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase due to the need for high electrode density and significant patient participation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from targeting the three-dimensional complex cortical network to targeting the one-dimensional simpler spinal cord architecture. This dimensional simplification allows for effective neural interface with lower electrode density, as the spinal cord's linear organization of neural pathways enables easier signal detection and stimulation compared to the brain's complex three-dimensional neural network
2Measurement precision
If brain-machine interfaces record from multiple neurons to enable behavioral decoding, then signal sufficiency is improved, but power consumption and time requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By moving from the brain's three-dimensional cortical architecture to the spinal cord's one-dimensional structure, the system achieves sufficient signal quality with fewer recording channels. The spinal cord's organized neural pathways provide robust signals that can be decoded with lower power consumption and reduced time requirements compared to recording from large numbers of cortical neurons
3Measurement precision
If brain-machine interfaces require significant patient participation for training, then behavioral-neural interface match is improved, but time consumption and reliance on patient compliance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spinal cord's simpler one-dimensional architecture provides more directly decodable neural signals compared to the brain's complex three-dimensional network. This reduces the need for extensive patient training and compliance, as the spinal neural pathways naturally organize information in a manner that is easier to decode and map to behavioral outputs
Data Source
AI summary
A spinal sensing and stimulating device is described. The spinal sensing and stimulating device includes an electrode array, supported by a substrate. The spinal sensing and stimulating device further includes a data processing unit configured to digitize a neural signal detected from a medullary/spinal cord implant of a patient through the electrode array.