Workshop 5 Description:

Workshop 5: Real Time Brain Interfacing Applications
Organizers: Dawn Taylor and David Terman

The field of neural engineering has been transformed by the growth in computer processing power in the last several years. It is now possible to read in multiple neural signals, process those signals, and respond to that processed data in real time. The capability to interact with the nervous system in real time has great potential for the development of new treatments for neurological disorders as well as enabling new experimental studies to further our understanding of the nervous system. For example, areas where real-time interaction can result in improved therapies or treatments include:

- Direct brain control of assistive devices for the paralyzed
- Closed-loop control of deep brain stimulation (DBS) (e.g., for Parkinson's disease)
- Prediction and intervention of epileptic seizures
- Closed-loop stimulation of paralyzed nerves to restore function

This real-time interaction posses special challenges because device design requirements often include minimizing power consumption and device size for implantation. This necessitates implementing efficient algorithms and quantifying the tradeoffs between making algorithms more efficient verses more effective. Another issue common to most chronic neural engineering applications is non-stationarity of the neural interface and of the biological system itself.

The themes of the workshop will include: spike sorting and tracking; cortical decoding of command signals for control of assistive devices; deep brain stimulation; and epilepsy detection and intervention.