Late human brain plasticity: vestibular substitution with a tongue BrainPort human-machine interface

نویسندگان

  • Paul Bach-y-Rita
  • Yuri Danilov
  • Mitchell Tyler
  • Robert J. Grimm
چکیده

The brain is capable of major reorganization even many years after an injury, with appropriate rehabilitation. The highly plastic brain responds best when the therapy is motivating and has a benefit that is recognized by the patient. The major objective of this study was to estimate feasibility and efficacy of an electro-tactile vestibular substitution system (ETVSS) in aiding recovery of posture control in patients with bilateral vestibular loss (BVL) during sitting and standing. Subjects used the BrainPort balance device for a period from 3 to 5 days. Subjects readily perceived both position and motion of a small 'target' stimulus on the tongue display, and interpreted this information to make corrective postural adjustments, causing the target stimulus to become centred. With two twenty minute sessions a day significant functional improvement lasts the whole day.

برای دانلود رایگان متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Sensory substitution and the human-machine interface.

Recent advances in the instrumentation technology of sensory substitution have presented new opportunities to develop systems for compensation of sensory loss. In sensory substitution (e.g. of sight or vestibular function), information from an artificial receptor is coupled to the brain via a human-machine interface. The brain is able to use this information in place of that usually transmitted...

متن کامل

Brain plasticity: 'visual' acuity of blind persons via the tongue.

The 'visual' acuity of blind persons perceiving information through a newly developed human-machine interface, with an array of electrical stimulators on the tongue, has been quantified using a standard Ophthalmological test (Snellen Tumbling E). Acuity without training averaged 20/860. This doubled with 9 h of training. The interface may lead to practical devices for persons with sensory loss ...

متن کامل

Closing an open-loop control system: vestibular substitution through the tongue.

The human postural coordination mechanism is an example of a complex closed-loop control system based on multisensory integration [9,10,13,14]. In models of this process, sensory data from vestibular, visual, tactile and proprioceptive systems are integrated as linearly additive inputs that drive multiple sensory-motor loops to provide effective coordination of body movement, posture and alignm...

متن کامل

Effects of electrotactile vestibular substitution on rehabilitation of patients with bilateral vestibular loss.

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of electrotactile tongue biofeedback (BrainPort((R))) as a sensory substitute for the vestibular apparatus in patients with bilateral vestibular loss (BVL) who did not have a good response to conventional vestibular rehabilitation (VR). Seven patients with BVL were trained to use the device. Stimulation on the surface of the tongue was created by a ...

متن کامل

Successful tactile based visual sensory substitution use functions independently of visual pathway integrity

PURPOSE Neuronal reorganization after blindness is of critical interest because it has implications for the rational prescription of artificial vision devices. The purpose of this study was to distinguish the microstructural differences between perinatally blind (PB), acquired blind (AB), and normally sighted controls (SCs) and relate these differences to performance on functional tasks using a...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

عنوان ژورنال:

دوره   شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2005