Grill W M, McDonald J W, Peckham P H, Heetderks W, Kocsis J, Weinrich M
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106-4912, USA.
J Rehabil Res Dev. 2001 Nov-Dec;38(6):633-9.
The rapid pace of recent advances in development and application of electrical stimulation of the nervous system and in neural regeneration has created opportunities to combine these two approaches to restoration of function. This paper relates the discussion on this topic from a workshop at the International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society. The goals of this workshop were to discuss the current state of interaction between the fields of neural regeneration and neural prostheses and to identify potential areas of future research that would have the greatest impact on achieving the common goal of restoring function after neurological damage. Identified areas include enhancement of axonal regeneration with applied electric fields, development of hybrid neural interfaces combining synthetic silicon and biologically derived elements, and investigation of the role of patterned neural activity in regulating various neuronal processes and neurorehabilitation. Increased communication and cooperation between the two communities and recognition by each field that the other has something to contribute to their efforts are needed to take advantage of these opportunities. In addition, creative grants combining the two approaches and more flexible funding mechanisms to support the convergence of their perspectives are necessary to achieve common objectives.
神经系统电刺激的开发与应用以及神经再生领域最近进展迅速，创造了将这两种恢复功能的方法相结合的机会。本文讲述了国际功能性电刺激协会一次研讨会对该主题的讨论。本次研讨会的目标是讨论神经再生与神经假体领域之间当前的相互作用状况，并确定未来研究中可能对实现神经损伤后恢复功能这一共同目标产生最大影响的潜在领域。确定的领域包括利用施加的电场增强轴突再生、开发结合合成硅和生物衍生元素的混合神经接口，以及研究模式化神经活动在调节各种神经元过程和神经康复中的作用。为利用这些机会，两个领域之间需要加强交流与合作，并且每个领域都要认识到另一方能够为自己的工作做出贡献。此外，将两种方法结合的创新性资助以及更灵活的资助机制以支持它们观点的融合，对于实现共同目标是必要的。
