An artificial nervous system to treat chronic stroke

• Published in: Artificial organs Vol. 45; no. 8; pp. 804 - 812
• Main Authors: Serruya, Mijail D., Rosenwasser, Robert H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.08.2021
• Subjects: Animals; Brain; brain computer interface; Brain-Computer Interfaces; Cardiovascular diseases; Chronic Disease; Coronary artery disease; Diabetes mellitus; Dystrophy; Genetics; Head injuries; Heart diseases; Heterogeneity; Humans; Hypertension; Information processing; Interfaces; Ischemia; Muscular dystrophy; Nerve Transfer; Nervous system; Nervous tissues; Neurofeedback; Neurological complications; Neurological diseases; Neuromodulation; Neuronal Plasticity; neurorehabilitation; neurorestoration; neurotechnology; Optics; Prostheses and Implants; Recovery of Function; Spinal cord injuries; Stroke; Stroke Rehabilitation - methods; Traumatic brain injury; Wearable Electronic Devices; neuromodulation; brain computer interface; neurorestoration; neurotechnology; neurorehabilitation
• ISSN: 0160-564X; 1525-1594
• DOI: 10.1111/aor.13998

Despite remarkable advances in the treatment of numerous medical conditions, neurological disease and injury remains an outstanding challenge and cause of disability worldwide. The decreased regenerative capacity and extreme complexity and heterogeneity of nervous tissue, in particular the brain, and the fact that the brain remains the least understood organ, have hampered our ability to provide definitive treatments for prevalent conditions such as stroke. Stroke is the second‐leading cause of death worldwide, and the nervous system is intimately involved in other prevalent conditions including ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Advances in neuromodulation, electroceuticals, microsurgical techniques, optogenetics, brain–computer interfaces, and autologous constructs offer potential solutions to address the otherwise permanent neurological deficits of stroke and other conditions. Here we review these various approaches to build an “artificial nervous system” that could restore function and independence in people living with these conditions. We focus on stroke both because it is the leading cause of neurological disability worldwide and because we anticipate that advances in the reversal of stroke‐related deficits will have ripple effects benefiting people with other neurological conditions including spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, ALS, and muscular dystrophy.