美国宾夕法尼亚医学院的科学家们制造出了能够连接病人神经系统和思维控制的假肢的生物介面,为最终实现能够用大脑驱动的机器奠定了基础。他们的结果发表在最新的《Neurosurgery》上。
?文章的第一作者,宾夕法尼亚脑损伤修复中心主任、神经外科教授Douglas Smith, M.D.说:“我们正站在发展新的脑-机器介面的岔道口上。如果直接把电极植入来收集信号,神经细胞肯定会反抗。但是,我们可以欺骗神经细胞去做它喜欢做的事——吸收新的神经细胞进入已有网络。”
?为了发展出新一代的假肢,科学家们提出使用未损坏的神经组织来提供命令信号,从而驱动如假肢的装置。而为了使假肢表现得更自然,需要假肢和人脑的双向交流。即病人的思维能够变为神经信号来移动假肢,而假肢上的探测到的热、压力等信号也能够反馈给人脑从而采取相应的动作。
?这个小组提出的介面的特点是制造出能够移植的已经与电极耦合在一起的活的神经组织。这些实验室生长出的神经组织一端连接病人神经,另一端连接电极,就可以把使人脑和机器进行双向的交流。
?Smith说:“这个系统将来有希望能使因脊柱损伤而瘫痪的、断肢的和其他许多残疾病人重新得到失去的身体功能。”
?为了制造出这种介面,科学家们使用了一种他们新发展出来的拉伸生长法来生长神经轴突。他们生长出了一端连接电极的神经组织,并已经证明了这种介面能够被移植到小鼠的脑内。 (physorg.com)
作者简介:
Douglas Smith, M.D.
Professor
113 Hayden Hall/3320 Smith Walk
Department of Neurosurgery
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215-573-0881
smithdou@mail.med.upenn.edu
Smith Neurotrauma Lab
Center for Brain Injury & Repair
Publications
Chen, X.H., Meaney, D.F., Xu, B.N., Nonaka, M., McIntosh, T.K., Wolf, J.A., Saatman, K.E., Smith, D.H. Evolution of neurofilament subtype accumulation in axons following diffuse brain injury in the pig. J.Neuropath.Exp.Neurol. 58:588-596, 1999.
Shreiber, D.I., Smith, D.H., Meaney, D.F. Immediate in vivo response of the cortex and the blood-brain barrier following dynamic cortical deformation in the rat. Neurosci Letts. 259(1):5-a8, 1999.
McGowan, J.C., McCormack, T.M., Grossman, R.I., Chen, X.H., Berlin, J.A., Meaney, D.F., Xu, B.N., McIntosh, T.K., Smith, D.H. Diffuse axonal pathology detected with magnetization transfer imaging following brain injury in the pig. Mag.Res.Med. 41:727-733, 1999
Shreiber, D.I., Bain, A.C., Ross, D.T., Smith, D.H., Gennarelli, T.A., McIntosh, T.K., Meaney, D.F. Experimental investigation of cerebral contusion: histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation of dynamic cortical deformation. J.Neuropathol.Exp.Neurol. 58:153-164, 1999.
Smith, D.H., Chen, X.H., Nonaka, M., Trojanowski, J.Q., Lee, V.M.Y., Saatman, K.E., Leoni, M.J., Xu, B.N., Wolf, J.A., Meaney, D.F. Accumulation of amyloid b and tau and the formation of neurofilament inclusions following diffuse brain injury in the pig. J.Neuropath.Exp.Neurol. 58 (9):982-992, 1999.
Nonaka, M., Chen, X.H., Pierce, J.E.S., Leoni, M., Wolf, J.A., Smith, D.H. Prolonged activation of NF-kB following traumatic brain injury in rats. J. Neurotrauma 16:1023-1034, 1999.
Nakagawa Y., Nakamura, M., Rodriguez, A., Berlin, J.A., Smith, D.H., Saatman, K.E., Raghupathi, R., Clemens, J., Saido, T.C., Schmidt, M.L., Lee,V.M.Y., McIntosh, T.K., Trojanowski, J.Q. Traumatic brain injury in young PDAPP transgenic mice induces marked ipsilateral hippocampal atrophy and diminished Ab deposition during aging. J.Comp. Neurol. 411:390-398, 1999.
Smith, D.H., Wolf, J.A., Lusardi, T.A., Lee, V.M.Y., Meaney, D.F. High tolerance and delayed elastic response of cultured axons to dynamic stretch injury. J.Neurosci. 19 (11), 4263-4269, 1999
Smith, D.H., Nonaka, M., Miller, R. Leoni, M., Chen, X.-H., Alsop, D., Meaney, D.F. Immediate Coma following inertial brain injury in dependent on axonal pathology in the brain stem. J.Neurosurgery, 93:315-322, 2000.
Leoni, M.J., Chen, X-H, Mueller, A.L., McIntosh, T.K., Cheney, J. Smith, D.H., NPS 1506 attenuates cognitive dysfunction and hippocampal neuron death following brain trauma in the rat. Exp. Neurol. 165, 2000.
Nakagawa Y, Reed L, Nakamura M, McIntosh TK, Smith D.H., Saatman KE, Raghupathi R, Clemens J, Saido TC, Lee VM, Trojanowski JQ. Brain trauma in aged transgenic mice induces regression of established abeta deposits. Exp Neurol. 163(1):244-52, 2000.
Wolf, J.A., Stys, P.K., Lusardi, T., Meaney. D.F., Smith, D.H. Traumatic axonal injury induces calcium influx modulated by tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium channels. J. Neurosci. 21 (6), 2001
Smith, D.H., Wolf, J.A., Meaney, D.F. A new system to produce sustained growth of central nervous system axons: Continuous mechanical tension. Tissue Engineering 7(2) 131-138, 2001.
Stein, S.C., Chen, C-H, Sinson, G.P., Smith, D.H. Intravascular Coagulation is a Major Secondary Insult in Nonfatal Traumatic Brain Injury. J. Neurosurg. 97: 1373-1377, 2002.
Smith, D.H., Meaney, D.F. Roller Coasters, G forces, and Brain Trauma: Analysis of head accelerations. J. Neurotrauma 19 (10) 1117-1120, 2002
Iwata A., Chen X-H, McIntosh T.K., Browne K.D., Smith, D.H. Long-term accumulation of amyloid- in axons following brain trauma in rats without persistent upregulation of amyloid precursor protein genes. J.Neuropathol.Exp.Neurol, 61: 1201-1210, 2002.
Lusardi, T.A., Smith, D.H., Wolf, J.A., Meaney D.F. The separate roles of calcium and mechanical forces in mediating cell death in mechanically injured neurons. Biorheology 40:401-409, 2002.
Saatman, K.E., Abai, B., Grosvenor, A., Vorwerk, C., Smith, D.H. Meaney, D.F. Traumatic Axonal Injury Results in Biphasic Calpain Activation and Retrograde Transport Impairment in Mice. J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab, 23 (1)3:34-2, 2003
Maxwell, W. L., Dhillon, K., Harper, L, Espin, K, MacIntosh, T.K., Smith D.H., Graham, D.I. There Is Differential Loss of Pyramidal Cells from the Human Hippocampus with Survival after Blunt Head Injury J.Neuropathol.Exp.Neurol,. 62( 3) 272279, 2003.
Smith, D.H., Chen, X-H, Iwata, A, Graham D.I. Amyloid- in axons after traumatic brain injury in humans. J. Neurosurg, 98:1072-1077, 2003.
Chen, X-H, Iwata, A., Nonaka, M., Browne, K.D., Smith, D.H. Neurogenesis and glial proliferation persist for at least one year in the subventricular zone following brain trauma in rats. J. Neurotrauma, 20(7):623-631, 2003.
Stein, S, Graham, D.I. Chen, X-H, Smith, D.H. Association between intravascular microthrombosis and cerebral ischemia in traumatic brain injury. Neurosurgery, 54(4) 2004.
Lusardi, T.A., Wolf, J.A., Putt, M., Smith, D.H., Meaney, D.F.Massive Calcium Influx Following Mechanical Stretch Injury is Uncoupled from Hippocampal Neuron Death. J. Neurotrauma, 2004 Jan;21(1):61-72..
Chen X-H, Siman R, Iwata A, Meaney DF, Trojanowski JQ, Smith DH. Long-term Accumulation of Amyloid-, -secretase, Presenilin-1, and Caspase-3 in Damaged Axons Following Brain Trauma, Am. J. Pathol. In press
Iwata, A, Stys, PK, Wolf, JA, Chen, X-H, Taylor, AG, Meaney, DF, Smith, DH. Traumatic Axonal Injury Induces Proteolytic Cleavage of the Voltage-gated Sodium Channels Modulated by Tetrodotoxin and Protease Inhibitors. J Neurosci.in press.