Neural brain-muscle interface for treating motor disabilities in patients with spinal cord injury through a system that bypasses the damaged nervous system via a wireless signal, connecting the patient's motor cortex to their own musculature.
| Patent title | Motor skills recovery interface device and its operation method |
|---|---|
| Thematic area | Health |
| Ownership | ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA' DI BOLOGNA, Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli - I.O.R. |
| Inventors | Alessandro Bruschi, Davide Maria Donati |
| Protection | Italy (opportunity for seeking patent protection internationally) |
| Licensing status | Available for development agreements, options, licenses, and other valorization agreements. |
| Keywords | wireless, neuromuscular interface, EEG, ECoG, machine learning, functional electrical stimulator |
| Filed on | 12 July 2023 |
To date, there are no solutions to replace or regenerate damaged nervous tissue. The impairment for affected patients is therefore irreversible with dramatic functional, social, psychological and family implications. Therefore, it is believed that there could be significant technological potential for a device that utilizes wireless communication between a motor cortex activation sensor and a muscle electrostimulator to connect the patient's brain to their muscles.
This technology allows muscle contraction through electrical stimulators even in the presence of spinal cord or peripheral nervous system injury. The activation of each electrical stimulator is generated through wireless communication with a central sensor coupled to it, which detects the activity of the specific area of the cerebral cortex responsible for recruiting those muscles. The detected signal is wirelessly transmitted to an external decoder, which, through machine learning, processes the signal to generate a specific stimulus for the electrical stimulator to be activated. The electrostimulation signal thus determines the contraction of the corresponding muscle, bypassing the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.
From a clinical perspective, a patient with motor deficits related to spinal cord or peripheral nervous system damage would regain the ability to move the body areas affected by the nerve injury. Moreover, resolving the state of immobility would help avoid the development of indirect clinical damages associated with deep vein thrombosis, pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections, muscle spasms, chronic pain, osteoporosis, cardiorespiratory complications, and depression.
From a psychosocial standpoint, the patient would have the opportunity to reclaim a social and occupational life otherwise limited by immobility or the inability to perform certain movements. On the other hand, caregivers and family members would see the possibility of regaining spaces and times in their lives otherwise dedicated to supporting the sick person. Finally, the elimination of hospital and home care management costs for the sick person would ensure significant savings for the healthcare system.