APLICACION DE LA CIBERNETICA EN

DIRECTA CONEXION CON EL CEREBRO

HUMANO PARA MEJORAR LA CALIDAD DE
VIDA
Piero Paolo Battaglini
Centro B.R.A.I.N.
Universit degli Studi Basic Research And
di Trieste Integrative Neuroscience

Chiclayo, August 11, 2011

The building of brain-computer interfaces (BCI)

4 targets + core
Since pre-history, humans tried to accomplish for brain damage

Skul with trapanation (about 7000 years ago).

The patient survived.

Bronze age. Cave of

Scoglietto, Toscana

Inca surgeons in ancient Peru commonly

and successfully removed small portions
of patients' skulls to treat head injuries
The difficulty in getting results is that bone, skin, hairs
and other tissues grow, regenerate and repair
 But neurons do not recover and die

Amyloid plaques and extensive neuronal death (Alzheimer desease)

 It is the Neuron Doctrine ", source of one of the best known controversies
in Neurosciences and of modern idea of the brain

Camillo Golgi, Italy Ramon y Cajal, Spain

black reaction (Golgi staining), based on nervous tissue hardening in
potassium dichromate and impregnation with silver nitrate.

Camillo Golgi, 1843-1926

Neurons are arranged in a diffuse network
 Cajal was fascinated by the Golgi staining and widely used it

Santiago Ramn y Cajal, 1852-1934

Neurons are single cells, independent one from the other:
NEURON DOCTRINE
1906: Nobel prize for Physiology and Medicine was assigned to both
Golgi and Cajal
 TARGET 1

Men have always wished to interact with the brain to improve the quality of
life

Many tissues, but not the nervous one, continue to grow all along the life

The Neuron Doctrine (what a neuron is) is a quite recent acquisition

 Which is the importance of the neuronal doctrine?

Knowledge of neurons changed from this to this

 Remind the critical question:

Do neurons fuse the one with the others (Golgi)

or are they single, independent elements (Cajal)?

 Diffuse neuronal network (Golgi):
every part of the brain communicates with all others.
Hence it may take their job
 Neurons are individual elements (Cajal).
Every brain region communicates with only the sourrounding ones.
Hence its job is unique
Not only Cajal was right, but he also discovered that neurons are spiny
Spines (dendritic spines) are the site where neurons make contacts
(SYNAPSE) from other neurons

PRE-SYNAPTIC NEURON
SYNAPSE

SPINE
SPINE

POST-SYNAPTIC NEURON

Neurons have tens thousands spines (synapses) and their

number varies according to the activity of the neuron itself
 Spines (hence synapses) are dynamic structures (neuronal plasticity)

If sensory periphery is stimulated

at high intensity and for a long
time, its cortical representation
enlarges

After prolonged use, it is not the number of neurons which increases,

rather their ramifications, so that new territories are colonized
 Neurons change the extension of their arborization,
like a tree. As a consequence, also the brain changes
 TARGET 2

Men have always wished to interact with

the brain to improve the quality of life

Many tissues, but not the nervous

one, continue to grow all along
the life

The Neuron Doctrine (what a neuron

is) is a quite recent acquisition

The brain is build up by single cells (one hundred billions, the same as
that of stars in our galaxy)

Neurons are plastic cells: they can modify the number of their connections
 CEREBRAL CORTEX

After birth, the number of

neurons remains almost
constant, but their arborisation
and connections increase
enormously.

Conversely, the number of

non neuronal cells (glia)
increases up to 10 times.

Birth 3 months 2 years

At birth, the number of experiences increases dramatically. Some synaptic networks

become active more than others and become stronger, originating more and more
complex connections. At the age of 3 years, each neuron has about 10.000 synapses.
The less active ones will eventually be eliminated (pruning).
Fate of neurons during life

age
The same happens in poor environments
But can be reversed in enriched
environments
Activity maintains neurons in good health

esercizio
Exercise
(Rehabilitation)
 TARGET 3 Men have always wished to interact with the
brain to improve the quality of life
Many tissues, but not the nervous
one, continue to grow all along the life
The Neuron Doctrine (what a neuron is) is
a quite recent acquisition

The brain is build up by single cells

(the number of which is the same as
that of stars in our galaxy
Neurons are plastic cells: they can
modify the number of their
connections. Neuronal plasticity is
crucial to memory and learning

The number of neurons does not increase after birth, but the brain still
changes

Neurons can change their shape as a function of the number of

connections (based on activity)

Both facts determine brain efficiency (intelligence?) and behaviour

Neurons are the fundamental elements of the nervous system; they
generate and transmit information

They are plastic cells: can change the number of synapses and
extent of arborisation

HOW DO THEY BEHAVE, WHEN LESIONED?

Peripheral nerve regeneration is possible
Unfortunately, it is not the same for the central nervous system
Result is permanent paralysis
 STROKE AMIOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS LOCKED-IN SINDROME

 TARGET 4 Men have always wished to interact with the brain
to improve the quality of life
Many tissues, but not the nervous one,
continue to grow all along the life
The Neuron Doctrine (what a neuron is) is a
quite recent acquisition
The brain is build up by single cells (the
number of which is the same as that of
stars in our galaxy
Neurons are plastic cells: they can modify
the number of their connections. Neuronal
plasticity is crucial to memory and learning
The number of neurons does not
increase after birth, but myelination
proceeds till to adulthold
Neurons can change their shape as a function of the number of connections (based
on activity). Both facts determine brain efficiency (intelligence) and behaviour

Neurons can regenerate part of their body: axon and dendrites, but only in
the peripheral nervous system (nerves)

Irreversible neuronal death characterizes many devastating pathologies

 LOCKED-IN SYNDROME

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

AMIOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS

STROKE

SPINAL CORD INJURY

IN ALL CASES:
brain is permanently separated by muscles, which represent its only output
and there is no hope to restore communication through biology or medicine
(till now)

Are there other ways to consistently ameliorate the quality of life of this patients
(and also of their relatives, caregivers and society itself?
 THE CYBERNETIC APPROACH

Record the electrical activity of the brain and use it to directly interact with
the extrapersonal space:
BRAIN COMPUTER INTERFACES
 WHY BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACES?
In Italy:

90.000 people with spinal cord injuries;

1.800 new cases every year
40% between 20 and 30 years old

200.000 new brain strokes every year (4.200 younger than 45 years old)

3.600 patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with more or

less 1.000 new cases every year
Brain-computer interface (BCI) is a method of communication based on
neural activity generated by the brain and is independent of its normal
output pathways (peripheral nerves and muscles).

Picture of Gerwin Schalk, Wadsworth Center, NY

 STATE OF THE ART
PAST AND PRESENT FUTURE
(Demonstrated prototypes) (Main application areas)

Controlling robots, wheelchairs Motor Substitution

and prosthetic devices Motor Recovery
Operating virtual keyboards Communication and Control
Internet browsing Entertainment
Navigating in virtual realities
Playing games
through:
Co-use of different methods of BCI control
Account for individual differences
Optimization of user interface
Incorporation of artificial intelligence
PARTIAL INDEPENDENCE
and:
Improving instrumental qualities (hedonics, aesthetics)
Developing new EEG devices for better acceptability
(dry electrodes, wireless helmets)
 COMMUNICATION: P300
P300 wave is a positive EEG deflection at a latency of roughly 300 ms after
the target stimulus is presented within a random sequence of non-target
stimuli. The user focuses his/her attention on one of these visual stimuli, and
the EEG is used to infer the stimulus that the user is attending to.
Waveform (Channel 9)

Waveform (Channel 8)

Waveform (Channel 3)

r2 values computed for different channels and different

P300 response amplitudes, recorded on times during the attended/unattended stimulus of the
parieto-occipital and central electrodes P300 calibration session
 APPLICATIONS
SPELLING

PAINTING VIRTUAL ROOM

 CONTROL:
SENSORIMOTOR RHYTHMS
Users control the amplitude of a 812 Hz mu rhythm (or a 1826 Hz beta rhythm) by
performing or imaging body movements in order to move a cursor to one or more
targets on the screen. Frequency spectra for different targets (body movements)
show that a given rhythm is prominent when a movement is performed with respect
to another.

Distribution of signal power over frequencies Topographical distribution of r2 at specific frequency

values for left hand movements
APPLICATIONS
DRIVE OF PROSTHETIC ARMS

The same neurons which are normally

connected to the spinal cord to control muscles,
can be artificially re-conneted to an artificial arm
 TRIESTE BCI GROUP: EXPERTISE

Use small, light and portable apparatus with up to 32 electrodes

Reduce the number of active electrodes in order to have reliable

recordings with cups as comfortable as possible
Train healthy people in using both executed and imagined
movements to move objects on a pc screen
Thank you
FOTO TUTTI
The Trieste BCI group