Iranian Conference on Biomedical Engineering

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Keynote Speaker: Dr. Abbas Erfanian

Abbas Erfanian received the B.Sc. degree in computer engineering from Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran, in 1985, the M.Sc. degree in computer engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, in 1989, and the Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering from Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, in 1995. From 1993 to 1994, he was a Senior Research Associate with Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, where he did research in the area of functional electrical stimulation and neuromuscular control systems. Since 1995, he has been a Faculty Member with Iran University of Science and Technology, serving as Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering from 2000 to 2008. Currently, he is a Professor of biomedical engineering at Iran University of Science and Technology and the Director of Iran Neural Technology Center, Tehran. Dr. Erfanian has been principle investigators of two national macro technology projects supported by the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology. The aim of projects were the development of the motor neuroprostheses for standing and walking in paraplegic subjects (ParaWalk) and for cycling in spinal cord injuries (ParaCycle).

Abstract

Neural interfaces have the potential to restore limb function by translating neural activities into command signals that could be used in a neuroprosthetic device for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Restoring the lost function, such as locomotion, requires the integration of both motor and sensory information. Sensory information is an essential requirement for the closed-loop control of locomotion. Many attempts have been made to obtain sensory information from different parts of the nervous system, such as the peripheral nerve, dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and ventral roots, Moreover, intracortical recordings were used to decode the hindlimb kinematics and muscle activity. Intraspinal recordings have been also proposed as an alternative source of information for decoding kinematics information. The dorsal horn is an alternate location for extracting sensory information. The central branch of the sensory axon enters the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Another possible source of kinematics information within the spinal cord is the descending pathways. The descending pathways, including corticospinal tracts and rubrospinal tracts, have a significant role in controlling balance, posture, locomotion, and reaching. We will show that the neural signals recorded from the descending tracts of the spinal cord (i.e., lateral column) can be used to decode the hindlimb kinematics during walking on the treadmill. Moreover, the feasibility of decoding the hindlimb kinematics from the dorsal column is evaluated. The dorsal column which contains ascending sensory pathways, carry information about tactile sensations and proprioception to the brain stem.