PI: Lee Fisher and Douglas J Weber
Title: Spinal root stimulation for restoration of function in lower-limb amputees
Description: Despite recent advancements in prosthetics, prosthetic devices still lack a means of providing direct sensory feedback, which would improve balance control, reduce falling risk, and could significantly diminish severe phantom limb pain. In individuals with trans-tibial amputation, Fisher’s team will use spinal cord stimulator leads to electrically stimulate the dorsal root ganglia and dorsal rootlets. They intend to generate sensations of pressure and movement in the amputated limb, and reduce phantom limb pain, which correlates with greater prosthesis use. The group will use electromyography to analyze the relationship between stimulation and evoked reflexive responses, and thus optimize stimulation programming. To improve gait function, the group will study how signals from pressure/angle sensors within the prosthetics can be used to modulate sensory feedback via stimulation. These experiments could assist development of a neuroprosthesis that would improve quality of life for individuals with trans-tibial amputation.
Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Term: Sept 25, 2017 – July 31, 2022
Amount: $1,128,091/year