Closing the Loop in Aids for the Neurologically Handicapped

Basic neuroscience researchers are working closely with physical scientists and engineers to develop neural prostheses for individuals with disorders of the nervous system. These aids include auditory prostheses for the deaf, bladder evacuation prostheses and motor prostheses for the paralyzed. The level of sophistication of these devices is increasing, and several are now beginning to move from open loop systems to microprocessor controlled, closed loop systems with custom-fabricated transducers. The basic principles of these prostheses will be discussed, and current research results will be presented.