![]() Type 1 bionic species, like modern Homo sapiens, have some basic assistive devices which can replace partial function of the body, but are limited in their total capabilities. An example of this might be Homo neanderthalensis, which was a technologically intelligent species that simply did not have the generational knowledge required to make functional prostheses (Noonan, 2010). A Type 0 bionic species has no solution for the loss of a body part. There is an obvious path for the ongoing evolution of bioelectronic devices and prosthetics, much like the Kardashev scale for the evolution of civilizations (Kardashev, 1985) (Fig. As BEM continues to evolve, so too will bionic humans, people that have had the functionality of a lost body part completely replaced by an electronic device. A cut nerve is not so different, and it is this principle of trying to “plug into” a damaged nerve that helped to spawn the birth of bioelectronic medicine (BEM).īEM is a field that encompasses any use of electronic devices to interface with biological tissue for the purpose of treating disease (Olofsson & Tracey, 2017 Sanjuan-Alberte & Rawson, 2019). These options are possible because the exposed end of the cable is still conducting detectable electronic signals. If an electrical cable is cut, thus interrupting signals to or from a device, the engineer’s solution is to repair the cable or give it a new adaptor. Nerve damage is a challenging fate to befall any vertebrate whether through limb amputation, trauma, or disease, it is frustrating and disabling to have a part of the body no longer be under the control of the nervous system (Bailey et al., 2009). ![]() The relationship between the nervous system and electronics is what gives biomedical engineers hope that they can solve the problem of nerve damage. The largest and longest neurons are sensorimotor neurons that send bioelectrical signals between the spinal cord and the muscles of the extremities (Nicholson et al., 2000). Neurons have detectable voltages across their cell membranes, which can change rapidly within milliseconds and be sent quickly over long distances (Nave, 2010). Neurons, the cells responsible for generating, sending, and processing information, have evolved to use electrochemistry for sending bioelectrical signals in binary across the body by either being “off” or “on” (also called “spiking”). That is because nervous tissue performs most of its primary functions using electrical principles (Sterratt et al., 2011). There is a reason why many bachelor’s degree programs in neuroscience require that new trainees take a physics course on electricity and magnetism: understanding the nervous system requires a basic understanding of electronics. Future devices will primarily have to interface with tissue that has undergone some natural regeneration process, and so we have explored and reported here what is known about the bioelectrical features of neuromuscular tissue regeneration. This information is important because it can guide us in planning the development of future bioelectronic devices, such as prosthetic limbs or neurostimulators. In this review, we aim to investigate what the literature has to say about different pathways for peripheral nerve regeneration and how each pathway can impact the neuromuscular tissue’s final electrophysiology. No two amputees will have identical physiologies because there are many surgical options for reconstructing residual limbs, which may in turn impact how well someone can interface with a robotic prosthesis later on. For an amputee who has his/her damaged nerves surgically reconstructed, the electrical signals that are generated by the reinnervated muscle tissue can be sensed and interpreted with bioelectronics to control assistive devices or robotic prostheses. Furthermore, those damaged nerves have an innate ability to partially regenerate, so they can heal from trauma and even reinnervate new muscle targets. When nerves are damaged by trauma or disease, they are still capable of firing off electrical command signals that originate from the brain.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |