Relevance:
In the US and around the world, neurological disability often results in
decreased quality of life due to medical complications, poor general health
and physical fitness, reduced independence, and limited employment options.
The economic impact of neurological disability on our society includes the
costs of health care and personal assistance as well as the high cost of
lost or reduced economic productivity. The rapid growth in our
understanding of the nervous system and the profound advances in electronic
technology have opened up a wide variety of opportunities for interacting
with the nervous system to offer clinical solutions to people with
neurological disorders. The activities of this program will help to reduce
the impact of neurological disability through a variety of projects
directed at replacing functionality of the impaired nervous system and/or
promoting reorganization and repair of neural tissue to restore neural
system function.
Research Approach:
This research program uses a multi-faceted
approach to address the impact of disability at several different
levels. At the most basic level, we utilize advanced engineering
techniques, such as nonlinear dynamical systems analysis, to understand
neural system function and to characterize the effect of neurotrauma and
neuropathology on the nervous system. At the applied level, we design and
develop techniques, such as adaptive control algorithms, to activate neural
tissue in order to enable individuals to achieve a desired function or to
elicit a desired therapeutic effect. Although our interventions often are
implemented at the cellular level, it is critical that our approach to
evaluation is decidedly at the systems and behavioral levels. Facilities
for this research provide capabilities for a variety of neurological
interventions as well as neurological, biomechanical, and physiological
assessment in animal models and human subjects. Research projects engage
faculty from ASU, regional medical centers, other universities and from
biomedical industry.
