Topic Overview:

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology has the potential to help individuals with disabilities control assistive devices and reanimate paralyzed limbs. Electrocorticography (ECoG), which detects cortical field potentials using electrodes placed on the surface of the brain, is a promising neural recording modality for BCI applications because it strikes a balance among various factors, including invasiveness, signal resolution, and long-term stability.  In this seminar, Wang will illustrate how he translates basic neuroscience findings about human motor control and motor cortex neurophysiology into practical BCI applications using ECoG. Wang will review findings from nonhuman primate studies and discuss preliminary human studies performed in individuals undergoing clinical ECoG recording for seizure treatment. These studies provide the scientific and engineering foundation for Wang’s clinical and translational BCI research.

Finally, Wang will present his most recent ECoG-based BCI study, in which ECoG electrodes were implanted over the hand and arm area of the sensorimotor cortex in an individual with tetraplegia caused by a C4 level spinal cord injury. This study, for the first time, demonstrated reliable control of a three-dimensional computer cursor using ECoG by an individual with tetraplegia. ECoG-based BCI may hold great promise as an enabling technology for many individuals with disabilities.