Christina Salchow-Hommen and Dimitry Sayenko on electrode placement and neuroplasticity
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Release Date: 09/06/2023
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Narrative Salchow and Sayenko Dual interview episode: Christina Salchow-Hommen from Charité Universitätsmedizin in Berlin, Germany. Her presentation at RehabWeek2019 was titled “Characterization Of Optimal Electrode Configurations For Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation.” The talk presented her findings from a small trial which included 5 participants living with spinal cord injuries. In the trial, they were trying to find the optimal placements and size of surface stimulation electrodes to elicit a response rectus femoris and the tibialis anterior muscles. The study found variability...
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Tom LeBlanc is the Marketing Manager at Bioness, a neuroprosthetics and neural rehabilitation technology company born out of the Alfred E. Mann Foundation. Let’s listen in on his interview. He has several years of experience in marketing and communications within Bioness. Prior to joining them he was in the entertainment industry with the likes of Disney and Warner Bros. He holds an MBA from Pepperdine University. Let’s listen to our conversation with him. Takeaway: Functional electrical stimulation can be used as a neuroprosthetic for everyday tasks or as a rehabilitation device to gain...
info_outlineNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich’s Robert Reiner was one of the key figures to initiate the Cybathlon in 2016. The Cybathlon is a unique event in the development of every- day assistive devices in which people living with various disabilities compete while using the latest developments. There are six disciplines from advanced wheelchairs to FES cycling. Florian Haufe, a PhD candidate in Dr. Reiner’s lab, fills us in a little more about this premiere event and what the expect in the 2020 competition. Takeaways: 1. Showcase of technology for people with disabilities in the...
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Paul Meadows is one of the founding members of IFESS and a veteran in the neurotech industry. He is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Imthera in the development of neurostimulation device for obstructive sleep apnea. The company was recently acquired by LivaNova. Previous Meadows was involved with neurotech development at Advanced Bionics as well as the Alfred E. Mann Foundation. Takeaways: 1. Current technology transfer developments are influenced by peer-reviewed published research. 2. Learn from the past so we don’t repeat in the future, applies to neurotech applications. 3....
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Thierry Keller is a researcher in , a research institute in Spain. In this episode, he discusses some of the neuroprosthetic technologies for upper and lower extremity stimulation and recording that he is working to develop in his institute. Top three takeaways: Multiple stimulation channels, such as on the transcutaneous array, can provide better resolution of functions There needs to be open communication and sharing of knowledge between technology developers, clinicians, and end users in order to maximize the positive impact of an implanted device The point of research is not just to...
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Steven Plymale is the CEO of MyndTec. He joined the firm in late 2017 and has more than 25 years of experience in the medical device industry. Previously, he was CEO of Profound Medical, bringing the company from a small six-person team to going public in 2015 in an IPO that raised $60 million. Plymale was also with Xltek, now a division of Natus Medical, and Claron Technologies. Milos Popovic is the Director of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (KITE) and professor in the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto. He is also the co-founder and...
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David Pitino is a health technology researcher who started the in Mount Sinai. In this episode, he discusses innovation in the health tech industry, and how such technology and the industry overall can be improved. Top three takeaways: Communicating with your end user is critically important in solving challenges with medical technologies. One major improvement in most medical technologies is the increase in affordability of these technologies for patients. Improving the industry and technology is more important than monetary gain. [0:00] Ladan introduces the episode and David...
info_outlineNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
is a professor at the University of Alberta in the Department of Medicine, and she is in the division of . She has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a PhD in bioengineering, and has completed two postdoc positions in rehab medicine and neuroscience. In this episode, she discusses some of the technologies she is researching and developing with regards to nerve stimulation and walking/standing. Top three takeaways: Neural stimulation below levels of injury can greatly improve standing and walking performance in patients with spinal cord injury. A good understanding of...
info_outlineNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Debbie Backus is with the Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation hospital located in Atlanta, and is also the president of ACRM, a multidisciplinary organization whose mission is to help improve the lives of people with disabilities, particularly brain and spinal cord injuries. In this episode, she discusses the current technologies used to help patients with movement disabilities, how far the technologies have come, the cost-effectiveness of such technologies, and how those technologies may continue to grow in the future. Top three takeaways: Organizations such as the Shepherd Center and ACRM...
info_outlineNeural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Ursula Costa is the Head of Clinical Affairs at Hocoma AG, an established neural rehabilitation company based in Zurich, Switzerland. She is a licensed physical therapist who has recovered herself from a spinal cord injury as a young girl and then nurtured her passion for neurorehabilitation. She holds a PhD from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Physical Therapy and has held a professorship at the same university. Takeaway: Rehabilitation technology is a tool to help the patient gain maximum potential not a tool to do the motion passively. Technology coupled with rehabilitation aids...
info_outlineNarrative Salchow and Sayenko
Dual interview episode:
Christina Salchow-Hommen from Charité Universitätsmedizin in Berlin, Germany. Her presentation at RehabWeek2019 was titled “Characterization Of Optimal Electrode Configurations For Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation.” The talk presented her findings from a small trial which included 5 participants living with spinal cord injuries. In the trial, they were trying to find the optimal placements and size of surface stimulation electrodes to elicit a response rectus femoris and the tibialis anterior muscles. The study found variability in electrode placement but some commonalities at the T11 level spinal circuit level. Let’s catch up with her in our interview.
Dimitry Sayenko from the Center for Neurogeneration at Houston Methodist Research Institute gave a talk about Neuromodulation of Spinal Networks to Recover Motor Function: Underlying Mechanisms and Clinical Translations.” His talk discussed the differences in the epidural spinal stimulation clinical trials being conducted at the University of Louisville, UCLA and at EPFL in Geneva Switzerland. There were differences among the labs but he found the key is enabling versus inducing movement with stimulation and argued that the intense exercise regimes from some of these studies is not necessary. Let’s listen in on his interview.
Takeaways:
Electrode placement, along with stimulation parameters plays an important part in the responses to transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation.
[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode with an interview by Jen French of Neurotech Reports with Christina Salchow-Hommen at RehabWeek 2019.
[1:10] Salchow-Hommen introduces herself and her affilitation with technology for people with impairments for restoration of mobility.
[1:38} Discussion of the importance of electrode placement, adjustment of stimulation parameters between the 5 volunteers and patient reported preferences for transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation for people with paralysis.
[3:35] Salchow-Hommen discusses the need to better monitor the brain during stimulation and better measurement tools to quantify reported feedback.
[4:44] Ladan introduces the episode with an interview by Jen French of Neurotech Reports with Dimitry Sayenko at RehabWeek 2019.
[5:17] Sayenko introduces himself and addresses his perspective of how the brain reacts to spinal cord stimulation for the restoration of motor response after paralysis due to SCI. Nearly 80% of spinal cord injuries result in some form of residual function.
[6:41] Involvement of the brain with restoration of movement along with neuroplasticity for connections in the brain.
[8:28] Coupling traditional therapy with spinal cord stimulation. He finds that the intense rehab is not necessary but the first few sessions are critical. Still the technology has an accumulative effect.
[9:45} Discussion of the introduction of electrical stimulation following a spinal cord injury. When to introduce it in therapy.
[10:50] Restoration of gait and the timing of stimulation. His lab found timing was not critical.
[11:50] The introduction of machine learning into this therapy would be helpful. Sayenko expresses his excitement at RehabWeek.