Neural engineering

EE & BIOEN 460/560

Chet Moritz Azadeh Yazdan

Center for Neurotechnology
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Rehabilitation Medicine
Physiology & Biophysics
ctmoritz@uw.edu
Center for Neurotechnology
Bioengineering
Electrical & Computer Engineering
azadehy@uw.edu
EE/BioE 460/560 course details
• Format of survey course:
– Background lectures
– National guest lectures
– Student video presentations
• Assessments:
– Homework (50%)
– In-class quizzes on reading and other topics (25%)
– Final project video presentation & summary (25%)
– Graduate students only: guest lecture briefings
• Materials posted/collected on Canvas
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1395894
How can neural engineering improve
people’s lives?

• What are some neural engineering

solutions that are already working?
• What other challenges could be
helped by neural engineering?
 Prostheses and Neuroprostheses
Prostheses replace
missing limbs
Neuroprostheses restore
function to damaged
nervous system

Cochlear implant

Cheetah Flex-foot
Cochlear implant
Cochlear implant
Retinal implant
Retinal implant
 Deep Brain Stimulation
Essential Tremor

Parkinson’s disease
 Addressing the Burden of Neurological Disease
OCD1
Depression2
Parkinson's Disease 775,000
216,000
Epilepsy2

IN DEVELOPMENT
COMMERCIAL

Essential Tremor 245,000

80,000
Neurodegenerative
Dystonia1 Diseases (drug-device)3
3,500,000
Severe Spasticity
1,200,000 Migraine
Headache Pain3
Chronic Pain 904,000
1,300,000
Nonopioid
Gastroparesis1 Chronic Pain4
653,000
Overactive Bladder
and Retention Fecal Incontinence
1,800,000 692,000

Created by Tim Denison

1. Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE), 2. Investigational Use Only (IDE), 3. Research,
Medtronic
4. Investigational New Drug Patient #’s = US Net Prevalence (indicated, addressable population)
 Brain Computer
Interfaces
• Penetrating electrodes
record neurons/single units
(high frequency ‘digital’ info)
• Brain surface electrodes
record ECoG (middle
frequencies & resolution)
• Skin electrodes record
EEG (lowest frequency
& spatial resolution)

Kasten et al… Moritz , eLS 2015: http://depts.washington.edu/moritlab/?page_id=93

 Discussion – Brain-computer interface
How could you use brain-computer interface
technology to assist a completely paralyzed
person?
- What brain signals would you record?

- What would the brain signals control

to assist a person with paralysis?
Decoding from human motor cortex

100-electrode
array

30 neurons decoded for

2D cursor control

Hochberg et al… Donoghue, Nature 2006

 Brain-Computer Interface controls
robotic arm

♦
♦

52 y/o woman with motor complete spinocerebellar

degeneration implanted with two Utah arrays in motor cortex
Collinger et al… Schwartz, Lancet 2012
People use BCI to control muscle FES
• Utah array in Motor cortex
• Surface or implanted FES for
arm movement

Bouton et al., Rezai, Nature 2016

Ajiboye et al… Kirsch Lancet 2017

 Informational Quiz
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1395894/quizzes/1320104
or email answers to jmishler@uw.edu if not yet enrolled

1. Preferred Name
2. Phonetic spelling of preferred name
3. Preferred pronouns (optional)
4. Major/graduate program and year
5. Learning style(s)
6. What is driving your interest in neural engineering?
7. One question you have about neural engineering
 Interfacing with the Nervous System

Central Nervous System (CNS)

• Brain
• Spinal Cord

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

• Peripheral Nerves

Recording (Today & Friday)

Stimulation (Friday & next Wed)

 Brain Recording
• Penetrating electrodes
record neurons/single units
(‘digital’)
• Brain surface electrodes
record ECoG (analog)
• Skin electrodes record
EEG (analog)

Kasten et al… Moritz , eLS 2015: http://depts.washington.edu/moritlab/?page_id=93

 Recording neuron action potentials
• All or none electrical event
• Travels from cell body down
axon
 Discussion:
Recording neuron action potentials
• How will you record neuron
action potentials in the brain?

• What are key design

considerations for your
approach?
– Electrode type
– Size
– Location
– Frequency
 Action potential recording
Electrode type
• Intracellular/Patch clamp
• Extracellular
– Microwires
– Silicon probes
– Linear or planar arrays
Size
• As small as possible
(10-100µm)

Frequencies
• 1-10 kHz for spikes
1. Cell activity during wrist movement

Moritz, Perlmutter & Fetz Nature 2008

2. Direction tuning sets visual feedback
Low-Rate Target High-Rate Target

Visual feedback of cell rate with targets

oriented in preferred direction
Moritz, Perlmutter & Fetz Nature 2008
3. Monkey controls cursor with neuron

Moritz, Perlmutter & Fetz Nature 2008

 Discussion:
Recording action potentials
• Why do single neuron action
potentials disappear from
recording electrodes over time?

• What are the likely failure

modes?
– Biotoic (biologic defenses)
– Abiotic (electrode failure)
 Glial encapsulation of electrodes
• Astrocytes & Microglia surround electrodes
• Neurons die or move away from electrode
• Electrodes <10 µm diameter may not evoke immune response

100 µm

Wilson & Tresco, Biomaterials 2010

Shain et al., IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2003