Determining how information is translated and encoded in the brain poses a significant, ongoing challenge for neurobiologists. As brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) move to the forefront of accessibility and assisted living technologies, the language of the brain becomes all the more important. Improving the ability to turn the signals in the brain into meaningful, interpretable output will translate directly to an improved quality of life for those with impaired mobility who rely on BMIs to interact with computers. Precise spike time, the measurement of the timing of the voltage spike caused by the action potential as a reaction to a stimulus, has traditionally played important part in decoding incoming information about the role.
Description
New research indicates that temporal dynamics, which refers to the high-temporal precision of the relative spike timing of neurons, yields information about a person’s intent to move that is more accurate than convention rate-based computation. Temporal dynamics had previously been dismissed as noise, but researchers have found that in a stereotypical free hand motion task, temporal coding can reveal very specific patterns of neural activity that are entirely lost when using spike count coding. At temporal scales ranging in 10-50 milliseconds, temporal dynamics represent a more accurate measurement of a person’s intent to move the hand than their equivalent firing rate vectors. The implications of this finding are posed to revolutionize the way that mobility-impaired individuals are able to enjoy a new level of independence as well as the potential for inclusion in previously inaccessible spaces.
Applications
· Improved translation between brain activity and computer usage via a brain-machine interface
· Increased independence and inclusion in spaces that were previously accessibility-unfriendly
· Assistive technologies for individuals with spinal cord injury; i.e, control over a robot arm with which to feed oneself
· Overcoming permanent motor damage caused by stroke
· Restoring motor function to people with neurodegenerative diseases when combined with electrical stimulation of muscle groups
· Enhancement of human performance
Advantages
· Temporal dynamics are significantly better at predicting the position of the hand compared to traditional spike timing measurements
Invention Readiness
Software
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20230367990A1
