Intracortical Brain-machine Interface for Restoring Sensory Motor Function: Progress and Challenges

Limb loss or paralysis due to spinal cord injury has a devastating impact on quality of life. One way to restore the sensory and motor abilities lost by amputees and quadriplegics is to provide them with implants that interface directly with the central nervous system. Such Brain-machine interfaces could enable patients to exert active control over the electrical contractions of prosthetic limbs or paralysed muscles. The parallel interface can transmit sensory information about these motor outcomes back to the patient. Recent developments in algorithms for decoding motor intention from neuronal activity, using biomimetic and adaptation-based approaches and methods for delivering sensory feedback through electrical stimulation of neurons have shown promise for invasive interfaces with sensorimotor cortex, although significant challenges remain.