Clinical Trial: Providing Closed Loop Cortical Control of Extracorporeal Devices to Patients With Quadriplegia

Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: A Feasibility Study of the Ability of the Neural Prosthetic System 2 to Provide Direct Closed Loop Cortical Control of Extracorporeal Devices Through the Use of Intracortical Microstimulation in Patie

Brief Summary:

This research study is being conducted to develop a brain controlled medical device, called a brain-machine interface. The device will provide people with a spinal cord injury some ability to control an external device such as a computer cursor or robotic limb by using their thoughts along with sensory feedback.

Development of a brain-machine interface is very difficult and currently only limited technology exists in this area of neuroscience. Other studies have shown that people with high spinal cord injury still have intact brain areas capable of planning movements and grasps, but are not able to execute the movement plans. The device in this study involves implanting very fine recording electrodes into areas of the brain that are known to create arm movement plans and provide hand grasping information and sense feeling in the hand and fingers. These movement and grasp plans would then normally be sent to other regions of the brain to execute the actual movements. By tying into those pathways and sending the movement plan signals to a computer instead, the investigators can translate the movement plans into actual movements by a computer cursor or robotic limb.

A key part of this study is to electrically stimulate the brain by introducing a small amount of electrical current into the electrodes in the sensory area of the brain. This will result in the sensation of touch in the hand and/or fingers. This stimulation to the brain will occur when the robotic limb touches the object, thereby allowing the brain to "feel" what the robotic arm is touching.

The device being used in this study is called the Neuroport Array and is surgically implanted in the brain. This device and the implantation procedure are experimental which means that it has not been approved by the

Detailed Summary:
Sponsor: Richard A. Andersen, PhD

Current Primary Outcome:

  • Patient control over the end effector (virtual or physical) [ Time Frame: One year after array implantation ]

    The primary effectiveness objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the NPS2 in controlling virtual or physical end effectors. Signals from posterior parietal cortex will allow the subject to control the end effector with accuracy significantly greater than chance; the subject will be able to perceive and discriminate ICMS above the level of chance; and,incorporating stimulation will improve the subject's control over the end effector.

    We will evaluate the effectiveness of the NPS2 primarily by calculating the accuracy of the subjects' control over the end effector with and without ICMS, and comparing these different accuracies to the chance level, and to each other. Each subject will serve as his or her own control.

  • Absence of infection or irritation [ Time Frame: One year after array implantation ]
    The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of the NPS2. Implantation will not be associated with infection or irritation, and that the serious adverse event rate will not rise above 1%. We will evaluate the safety of the NPS2 by inspecting the subjects' scalps for evidence of reddening or discharge, by performing regularly scheduled neurologic history and physical exam, and by obtaining feedback from the subjects. The condition of the area will be compared with its condition on previous visits, history will be obtained regarding new symptoms and neurological and physical exam will be compared to baseline exams.


Original Primary Outcome:

  • Patient control over the end effector (virtual or physical) [ Time Frame: One year after array implantation ]

    The primary effectiveness objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the NPS2 in controlling virtual or physical end effectors. The driving hypotheses are the signals from posterior parietal cortex will allow the subject to control the end effector with accuracy significantly greater than chance; the subject will be able to perceive and discriminate ICMS above the level of chance; and,incorporating stimulation will improve the subject's control over the end effector.

    We will evaluate the effectiveness of the NPS2 primarily by calculating the accuracy of the subjects' control over the end effector with and without ICMS, and comparing these different accuracies to the chance level, and to each other. Each subject will serve as his or her own control.

  • Absence of infection or irritation [ Time Frame: One year after array implantation ]
    The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of the NPS2. The driving hypotheses are that the implantation will not be associated with infection or irritation, and that the serious adverse event rate will not rise above 1%. We will evaluate the safety of the NPS2 by inspecting the subjects' scalps for evidence of reddening or discharge, by performing regularly scheduled neurologic history and physical exam, and by obtaining feedback from the subjects. The condition of the area will be compared with its condition on previous visits, history will be obtained regarding new symptoms and neurological and physical exam will be compared to baseline exams

    Current Secondary Outcome:

    Original Secondary Outcome:

    Information By: California Institute of Technology

    Dates:
    Date Received: October 15, 2013
    Date Started: November 2013
    Date Completion: January 2019
    Last Updated: April 14, 2017
    Last Verified: April 2017