BCI: Brain Computer Interface: Neuroprosthetic Control of a Motorized Exoskeleton

Sponsor
University Hospital, Grenoble (Other)
Overall Status
Recruiting
CT.gov ID
NCT02550522
Collaborator
(none)
5
1
1
141
0

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

The BCI project falls within the very broad field of brain machine interfaces. Its multiple applications include the compensation of motor deficits. The subject of the present protocol is the first test of the system in man on the compensation of motor deficits by an epidural brain implant enabling an electrocorticogram (EcoG) to be recorded.

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Device: Brain-computer interface (BCI) platform including two implanted remotely powered ElectroCorticoGraph (ECoG) recording devices and an exoskeleton
N/A

Detailed Description

Injuries to the cervical spine and to its contents, the spinal cord, cause serious neurological deficits, with loss of motor function and sensitivity of the four limbs, resulting in quadriplegia. The level of the lesion separating the area without deficits, above the lesion, from the sub-lesional area depends on the extent of the spine injury (dislocation, fracture or trauma without final displacement), may cause spinal cord injuries of varying severity, which can range from the benign to a complete section that results in complete and irreversible sensorimotor deficits. Lesions from C1 to C4 are often immediately fatal or cause diaphragmatic paralysis (innervated by the phrenic nerve whose roots originate at C4). C4-C5 paraplegia and below are therefore compatible with life as they spare respiratory autonomy, although they lead to severe permanent disabilities, creating a state of severe dependence in subjects who are often young.

The problems created by these patients are those of an extremely heavy individual, family, and societal burden in addition to the individual drama. While paraplegics, by maintaining their motor skills and sensitivity of both upper limbs and back muscles can often reintegrate and find remarkable mobility with wheelchairs, this is not the case of quadriplegics who must be provided with substitutes in order to achieve an acceptable quality of life. This project offers a highly innovative approach by means of a motorized exoskeleton that enables standing, walking and the use of the upper extremities. The validation of the first step of this concept will pave the way for developing increasingly sophisticated exoskeletal neuroprostheses, aimed at giving these patients compatible and ever greater autonomy.

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Anticipated Enrollment :
5 participants
Allocation:
N/A
Intervention Model:
Single Group Assignment
Masking:
None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose:
Treatment
Official Title:
Brain Computer Interface: Neuroprosthetic Control of a Motorized Exoskeleton
Study Start Date :
Sep 1, 2015
Anticipated Primary Completion Date :
Sep 1, 2026
Anticipated Study Completion Date :
Jun 1, 2027

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: BCI

Brain-computer interface (BCI) platform including two implanted remotely powered ElectroCorticoGraph (ECoG) recording devices and an exoskeleton

Device: Brain-computer interface (BCI) platform including two implanted remotely powered ElectroCorticoGraph (ECoG) recording devices and an exoskeleton

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

  1. Number of Participants with Adverse Events [4 years after surgery]

    Complications associated with the chronic implantation of an extradural ECoG measuring implant.

Secondary Outcome Measures

  1. Patient's level of performance in piloting the degrees of freedom of the exoskeleton [4 years after surgery]

    To test the feasibility of compensation of motor deficits due to spinal trauma by a motorized man-machine interface neuroprosthesis controlled by cortical commands from biomarkers extracted from the ECoG.

  2. Patient's quality of life evaluation [4 years after surgery]

    Perception by the subject of changes in quality of life. Decrease in dependence on care environment.

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:
18 Years to 55 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
No
Inclusion Criteria:
  • Male or female aged between 18 and 45 years

  • Stability of neurological deficits in accrued sequelae

  • Lack of adequate compensation for the deficits in terms of quality of life. In other words, the expression by the patient of a need for additional mobility, oriented towards greater autonomy

  • Ambulatory or hospitalized monitoring

  • Fluent in French and able to understand the study procedures, including completing the auto-questionnaires

  • Registered in the French social security scheme

  • Signed informed consent of the patient will be collected before inclusion in the study

Exclusion Criteria:
  • Previous brain surgery,

  • Chronic prescription of anticoagulant treatments,

  • Impaired neuropsychological sequelae from an associated head injury,

  • Depressive syndrome with or without suicide attempt.

  • Alcohol or other substance dependence in the last 12 months, with abuse in the - A complete assessment (neurological and neuropsychological) will be conducted among eligible patients.

  • Contraindication to Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and/or Electroencephalography (EEG)

  • Contraindication to Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Contacts and Locations

Locations

Site City State Country Postal Code
1 CLINATEC Grenoble France 38000

Sponsors and Collaborators

  • University Hospital, Grenoble

Investigators

None specified.

Study Documents (Full-Text)

None provided.

More Information

Publications

Responsible Party:
University Hospital, Grenoble
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT02550522
Other Study ID Numbers:
  • BCI and Tetraplegia
First Posted:
Sep 15, 2015
Last Update Posted:
Oct 29, 2021
Last Verified:
Oct 1, 2021
Keywords provided by University Hospital, Grenoble
Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Study Results

No Results Posted as of Oct 29, 2021