PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Neuromuscular control of bionic arms has constantly improved over the past years, however, restoration of sensation remains elusive. Previous approaches to reestablish sensory feedback include tactile, electrical, and peripheral nerve stimulation, however, they cannot recreate natural, intuitive sensations. Here, we establish an experimental biological sensorimotor interface and demonstrate its potential use in neuroprosthetics. We transfer a mixed nerve to a skeletal muscle combined with glabrous dermal skin transplantation, thus forming a bi-directional communication unit in a rat model. Morphological analyses indicate reinnervation of the skin, mechanoreceptors, NMJs, and muscle spindles. Furthermore, sequential retrograde labeling reveals specific sensory reinnervation at the level of the dorsal root ganglia. Electrophysiological recordings show reproducible afferent signals upon tactile stimulation and tendon manipulation. The results demonstrate the possibility of surgically creating an interface for both decoding efferent motor control, as well as encoding afferent tactile and proprioceptive feedback, and may indicate the way forward regarding clinical translation of biological communication pathways for neuroprosthetic applications.
摘要：
在过去的几年中，仿生手臂的神经肌肉控制不断改进，然而,感觉的恢复仍然难以捉摸。以前重建感官反馈的方法包括触觉，电气,和周围神经刺激，然而,他们不能重现自然，直觉的感觉。这里,我们建立了一个实验性的生物感觉运动界面，并证明了其在神经假体中的潜在用途。我们将混合神经转移到骨骼肌，并结合无毛真皮皮肤移植，从而在大鼠模型中形成双向通信单元。形态学分析显示了皮肤的神经支配,机械感受器，NMJ,和肌肉纺锤体。此外，序贯逆行标记显示了背根神经节水平的特定感觉神经支配。电生理记录显示了触觉刺激和肌腱操纵后可再现的传入信号。结果表明，可以通过手术方式创建用于解码传出电机控制的接口，以及编码传入触觉和本体感受反馈，并可能指出有关神经假体应用的生物通讯通路的临床翻译的前进方向。
