Long-term motor cortex plasticity induced by an electronic neural implant

摘要: It has been proposed that the efficacy of neuronal connections is strengthened when there a persistent causal relationship between presynaptic and postsynaptic activity. Such activity-dependent plasticity may underlie reorganization cortical representations during learning, although direct in vivo evidence lacking. Here we show stable motor output can be induced by an artificial connection two sites cortex freely behaving primates. An autonomously operating electronic implant used action potentials recorded on one electrode to trigger electrical stimuli delivered at another location. Over or more days continuous operation, evoked from recording site shifted resemble corresponding stimulation site, manner consistent with potentiation synaptic artificially synchronized populations neurons. Changes persisted some cases for than week, whereas not incorporated was unaffected. This method inducing functional using physiologically derived stimulus trains have practical application neurorehabilitation after injury.