Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Restoring the Ability to Grasp to Paralyzed Patients
Scientific Advances

Restoring the Ability to Grasp to Paralyzed Patients

By Nora DunneSep 26, 2014
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
Dots indicate electrodes placed on a subject. The colors represent varying amounts of force-related information coming from each electrode; the best performing electrodes are red.

Patients with paralyzed or amputated hands are one step closer to recovering an essential ability: grasp.

Scientists can already use brain signals to control external devices such as prosthetic arms and hands. But many brain machine interfaces (BMIs) – methods for directing communication between the brain and the device – have limited capabilities.

In a recent study, published in NeuroImage, Northwestern Medicine scientists developed a method that can help people with severe paralysis regain grasping function.

“Most BMIs to date have concentrated on the position or velocity of the hand and fingers,” said Marc Slutzky, ’02 MD, ’00 PhD, ’06 GME, assistant professor in the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Physiology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

“However, when trying to restore grasping, it is not sufficient to control the finger joint positions. When holding an object such as a hot cup of coffee, it is essential to grasp with the right amount of force to avoid dropping or crushing the cup.”
Marc Slutzky, ’02 MD, ’00 PhD, ’06 GME, assistant professor in Neurology, Physiology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, hopes to use the findings from this research to restore function to people with severe paralysis.

BMIs interpret electric signals recorded from the brain. Traditionally using electrodes attached to the scalp or implanted in the brain, they bypass the injured part of the nervous system that causes paralysis.

Dr. Slutzky and his lab recorded signals from subjects using subdural electrodes, which are placed below the tissue covering the brain. Using these signals, they were able to decode the force and finger muscle activity levels that the subjects exerted while pinching a sensor between their thumb and index finger.

Subdural signals are less invasive than those implanted in the brain itself, and they may also be recorded for longer periods of time.

“This study showed that subdural signals provided a remarkable amount of information about grasp force and the underlying muscle activity during the grasp,” said Dr. Slutzky.

Ultimately, this information can be applied to BMI technology to help people paralyzed from neurological disorders such as stroke, spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) intuitively control grasp by stimulating their paralyzed muscles.

This study was supported by the Brain Research Foundation, the Northwestern Memorial Foundation Dixon Translational Research Grant Program, Paralyzed Veterans of America grant 2728, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Scientist Development Award 2011039, National Science Foundation award 1134575 and the American Brain Foundation.

Neurology and Neuroscience Patient Care Rehabilitation Research
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Predicting Risk of Blood Clots in Brain Tumors

Mar 16, 2023

Understanding How Exercise Induces Systemic Metabolic Benefits

Mar 15, 2023

Lieber Receives VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Award 

Mar 13, 2023

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Celebrating Feinberg’s 2023 Match Day

Mar 17, 2023

Predicting Risk of Blood Clots in Brain Tumors

Mar 16, 2023

Understanding How Exercise Induces Systemic Metabolic Benefits

Mar 15, 2023

Future Directions in Continuing Medical Education

Mar 14, 2023

Lieber Receives VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Award 

Mar 13, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
_5NM1245
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_0928
_5NM1715
_5NM0526
_5NM1026 (1)
_5NM1906
_5NM2173
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_0896
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_1113
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_1868
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_1237
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_1172

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.