NEC seminar
Speaker: Meron Abate
Advisor: Dr. A.Bolu Ajiboye
Title: Sensorimotor Integration and Somatosensory Input in Intracortical BCI
Location: Sears 439
Abstract:
Sensory feedback plays a critical role in enabling accurate and dexterous movement. In individuals with spinal cord injuries, this feedback is disrupted, interrupting the flow of sensory information to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and impairing sensorimotor integration, learning, and motor execution. Intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) offer promising potential to restore both sensation and motor function, particularly in high cervical-level injuries. While most iBCI research has focused on movement restoration without sensory input, recent studies show that incorporating sensory feedback improves motor control through iBCI. However, our understanding of how sensory feedback influences motor control and sensorimotor cortical activity remains insufficient.
In this seminar, I will discuss how somatosensory input is integrated within the sensorimotor network and how its reintroduction via iBCI can alter functional connectivity through increased cortical modulation and updates to internal models of motor control. I will then discuss how, in the Reconnecting Hand and Arm to the Brain (ReHAB) study, we are investigating the effects of sensory feedback on neural activity in sensorimotor areas using iBCI. The findings from this study will enhance our understanding of sensorimotor integration and inform the design of bidirectional BCI systems for movement restoration.