Scientific Colloquium
May 13, 2015, 3:30 p.m., Building 3 Auditorium
MIGUEL
NICOLELIS
DUKE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
"Computing
with Populations of Neurons: from Basic Science to Brain-Machine
Interfaces"
In this talk, I will describe
how state-of-the-art research on brain-machine interfaces makes
it possible for the brains of primates to interact directly and
in a bi-directional way with mechanical, computational and
virtual devices without any interference of the body muscles or
sensory organs.
I will review a series of recent experiments using real-time
computational models to investigate how ensembles of neurons
encode motor information. These experiments have revealed that
brain-machine interfaces can be used not only to study
fundamental aspects of neural ensemble physiology, but they can
also serve as an experimental paradigm aimed at testing the
design of novel neuroprosthetic devices. I will also describe
evidence indicating that continuous operation of a closed-loop
brain machine interface, which utilizes a robotic arm as its
main actuator, can induce significant changes in the
physiological properties of neural circuits in multiple motor
and sensory cortical areas. This research raises the hypothesis
that the properties of a robot arm, or other neurally controlled
tools, can be assimilated by brain representations as if they
were extensions of the subject's own body.
About the Speaker:
Miguel Nicolelis, M.D., Ph.D., is the Duke School of Medicine
Professor of Neuroscience at Duke University, Professor of
Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering and Psychology and
Neuroscience, and founder of Duke's Center for Neuroengineering.
He is Founder and Scientific Director of the Edmond and Lily
Safra International Institute for Neuroscience of Natal.
Dr. Nicolelis is also founder of the Walk Again Project, an
international consortium of scientists and engineers, dedicated
to the development of an exoskeleton device to assist severely
paralyzed patients in regaining full body mobility.
Dr. Nicolelis has dedicated his career to investigating how the
brains of freely behaving animals encode sensory and motor
information. As a result of his studies, Dr. Nicolelis was first
to propose and demonstrate that animals and human subjects can
utilize their electrical brain activity to directly control
neuroprosthetic devices via brain-machine interfaces (BMI).
Over the past 25 years, Dr. Nicolelis pioneered and perfected
the development of a new neurophysiological method, known today
as chronic, multi-site, multi-electrode recordings. Using this
approach in a variety of animal species, as well in
intra-operative procedures in human patients, Dr. Nicolelis
launched a new field of investigation, which aims at measuring
the concurrent activity and interactions of large populations of
single neurons throughout the brain. Through his work, Dr.
Nicolelis has discovered a series of key physiological
principles that govern the operation of mammalian brain
circuits. These findings have been reported in nearly 200
peer-reviewed publications in leading journals.
Dr. Nicolelis' pioneering BMI studies have become extremely
influential since they offer new potential therapies for
patients suffering from severe levels of paralysis, Parkinson’s
disease, and epilepsy. Today, numerous neuroscience laboratories
in the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America have incorporated Dr.
Nicolelis' experimental paradigm to study a variety of mammalian
neuronal systems. His research has influenced basic and applied
research in computer science, robotics, and biomedical
engineering.
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