Department of Neurosurgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
World Neurosurg. 2013 Mar-Apr;79(3-4):457-71. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2013.01.078. Epub 2013 Jan 17.
Conventionally, the practice of neurosurgery has been characterized by the removal of pathology, congenital or acquired. The emerging complement to the removal of pathology is surgery for the specific purpose of restoration of function. Advents in neuroscience, technology, and the understanding of neural circuitry are creating opportunities to intervene in disease processes in a reparative manner, thereby advancing toward the long-sought-after concept of neurorestoration. Approaching the issue of neurorestoration from a biomedical engineering perspective is the rapidly growing arena of implantable devices. Implantable devices are becoming more common in medicine and are making significant advancements to improve a patient's functional outcome. Devices such as deep brain stimulators, vagus nerve stimulators, and spinal cord stimulators are now becoming more commonplace in neurosurgery as we utilize our understanding of the nervous system to interpret neural activity and restore function. One of the most exciting prospects in neurosurgery is the technologically driven field of brain-machine interface, also known as brain-computer interface, or neuroprosthetics. The successful development of this technology will have far-reaching implications for patients suffering from a great number of diseases, including but not limited to spinal cord injury, paralysis, stroke, or loss of limb. This article provides an overview of the issues related to neurorestoration using implantable devices with a specific focus on brain-machine interface technology.
传统上，神经外科的实践一直以去除先天或后天的病变为特征。除了去除病变之外，新兴的治疗方法是为了特定的功能恢复而进行的手术。神经科学、技术和神经回路理解的进步正在为以修复方式干预疾病过程创造机会，从而朝着长期以来追求的神经修复概念迈进。从生物医学工程的角度来看待神经修复的问题是可植入设备这个快速发展的领域。可植入设备在医学中的应用越来越普遍，并取得了重大进展，以提高患者的功能预后。诸如深部脑刺激器、迷走神经刺激器和脊髓刺激器等设备现在在神经外科中越来越常见，因为我们利用对神经系统的理解来解释神经活动并恢复功能。神经外科中最令人兴奋的前景之一是技术驱动的脑机接口领域，也称为脑计算机接口或神经假体。这项技术的成功开发将对患有许多疾病的患者产生深远的影响，包括但不限于脊髓损伤、瘫痪、中风或肢体丧失。本文概述了使用可植入设备进行神经修复的相关问题，特别关注脑机接口技术。
