Abstract
Alpha motor neurons receive synaptic input that they convert into the ultimate neural code of movement — the neural drive to muscles. Recently, the interfacing (with non-invasive or implanted bioelectrodes) and processing methods for the identification of the activity of motor neuron pools from interference electromyogram (EMG) signals have been advanced substantially. In the past decade, these methods have indeed allowed the precise measure of the discharge timings of tens to hundreds of motor neurons concurrently during natural movements. This neural population analysis has opened new perspectives in the study of the neural control of movement.
Moreover, it now offers the possibility of decoding the output of the spinal circuits for man-machine interfacing. In this view, the muscles act as biological amplifiers of the neural code of motor neuron pools, either through natural innervation or surgical targeted reinnervation. The muscle electrical activity is then decoded to extract the neural code that is mapped into commands for external devices. This combination of surgical procedures, advanced recording and decoding, and mapping into effective commands constitutes a direct interface with the efferent nerve activity. The talk will overview the technology for motor neuron interfacing and its potential for neurotechnology applications, with special emphasis on upper limb prostheses.
Biography
Dario Farina received Ph.D. degrees in automatic control and computer science and in electronics and communications engineering from the Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Nantes, France, and Politecnico di Torino, Italy, in 2001 and 2002, respectively. He is currently Full Professor and Chair in Neurorehabilitation Engineering at the Department of Bioengineering of the Imperial College London, UK. He has previously been Full Professor at Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark, (until 2010) and at the University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University, Germany, where he founded and directed the Department of Neurorehabilitation Systems (2010-2016). His research focuses on biomedical signal processing, neurorehabilitation technology, and neural control of movement. Within these areas, he has (co)-authored >400 papers in peer-reviewed Journals, which have currently received cumulatively >20,000 citations, and over 500 among conference papers/abstracts, book chapters, and encyclopedia contributions.
Professor Farina has been the President of the International Society of Electrophysiology and Kinesiology (ISEK) (2012-2014) and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the official Journal of this Society, the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. He is also currently an Editor for IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering and the Journal of Physiology, and previously covered editorial roles in several other Journals. He is a Fellow IEEE, AIMBE, EAMBES.