PLEASE NOTE:
This seminar is a hybrid in-person and online event. Please click here for the virtual registration form if you wish to attend this event virtually. There is no need to register for those attending in person, as you can simply turn up. Refreshments will be served immediately after this seminar.
Title:
Recent Advances in Intracortical Brain-Computer Interfaces.
Abstract:
intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) have shown promise in restoring function to people with neurological diseases and injuries. Recent demonstrations include control of computer cursors and robotic limbs, as well as high-performance decoding of complex movements such as handwriting and speech.
This seminar will discuss recent advances in iBCIs, focusing on the restoration of communication and motor function for people with paralysis, as well as exploring their role in reshaping our understanding of the motor cortex. Contrary to the conventional homuncular model, recent findings suggest a nuanced organization within the precentral gyrus, with intermixed representations of upper and lower extremity movements as well as syllables, words and movement sequences.
The seminar’s discussion will focus on how scientific and engineering insights can help guide continued progress in understanding brain function and designing high-performance assistive devices for the restoration of neurological function.
Biography:
Jaimie M. Henderson, M.D., is director of the Stanford program in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. Following his residency at St. Louis University and fellowship training at Loma Linda University, he started the functional neurosurgery program at St. Louis University, where he remained on staff for 6 years. He then moved to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in 2001, joining their world-class functional neurosurgery program which at the time was the busiest in the US. He has directed the Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery program at Stanford since 2004.
During his residency in the early 1990s, Dr. Henderson was intimately involved with the development of the new field of image-guided surgery. This innovative technology has revolutionized the practice of neurosurgery, allowing for safer and more effective operations with reduced operating time. Dr. Henderson remains one of the world’s foremost experts on the application of image-guided surgical techniques to functional neurosurgical procedures, such as the placement of deep brain stimulators for movement disorders, epilepsy, pain, and psychiatric diseases. His major research focus is in brain-machine interfaces for the restoration of movement and communication for people with severe neurological disorders, co-directing the Stanford Neural Prosthetics Translational Laboratory along with engineer/neuroscientist Krishna Shenoy for the past 13+ years.
