Neural engineering to produce in vitro nerve constructs and neurointerface

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Neural Engineering

Background:

• Axon growth naturally occurs between late embryogenesis and early adulthood.
• Nervous system repair requires innovative approaches to bridge damaged neural pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel neural engineering approach for creating a nervous tissue interface.
• To integrate disconnected motor and sensory functions for external control via a neural interface.

Main Methods:

• Engineered in vitro nervous tissue constructs with bundled axons connecting neuronal populations.
• Designed a nervous tissue interface to translate electrophysiological signals between nervous tissue and electronics.

Main Results:

• Developed a nervous tissue interface using stretch-grown nervous tissue.
• Interfaced the tissue with a multi-electrode array to record efferent signals and stimulate afferent signaling in real-time.

Conclusions:

• The ultimate goal is a neurally controlled prosthesis with a two-way signaling nervous system interface.
• This technology aims to link patient thoughts for motor control and sensory feedback from external stimuli.