BRAIN COMPUTER, INTERFACE AND
ARTIFICIAL BRAIN INTERFACING
MICROELECTRONICS AND HUMAN
VISUAL SYSTEMS
BRAIN COMPUTER INTERFACES
BRAIN COMPUTER INTERFACE
Brain-computer interface (BCI) is a fast-growing
emergent technology, in which researchers aim to build a
direct channel between the human brain and the computer.
Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is a collaboration in
which a brain accepts and controls a mechanical device as
a natural part of its representation of the body.
BCI Model
The field of BCI research and
development has since focused primarily
on neuroprosthetics applications that aim
at restoring damaged hearing, sight and
movement.
WHAT IS NEUROPROSTHETIC?
It is the usage of artificial devices to
replace the function of impaired nervous
systems and brain related problems, or of
sensory organs.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
BCI AND NEUROPROSTHETICS?
Neuroprosthetics typically connect the
nervous system to a device, while BCIs
usually connect the brain (or nervous
system) with a computer system.
BCI APPROACHES
INVASIVE BCIS
Invasive BCIs are implanted directly into the
grey matter of the brain during neurosurgery.
As they rest in the grey matter, invasive
devices produce the highest quality signals of
BCI devices but are prone to scar- tissue buildup, causing the signal to become weaker or
even lost as the body reacts to a foreign object
in the brain.
PARTIALLY INVASIVE BCIS
Partially invasive BCI devices are implanted
inside the skull but rest outside the brain. They
produce better resolution signals than non-invasive
BCIs where the bone tissue of the cranium deflects
and deforms signals and have a lower risk of forming
scar-tissue in the brain than fully invasive BCIs.
ELECTROCORTICOGRAPHY (ECOG)
It measures the electrical activity of the
brain taken from beneath the skull in a
similar way to non-invasive
electroencephalography but the electrodes
are embedded in a thin plastic pad that is
placed above the cortex.
NON-INVASIVE BCIS
Signals recorded in this way have been used to
power muscle implants and restore partial
movement in an experimental volunteer. Although
they are easy to wear, non-invasive implants
produce poor signal resolution
ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY
In conventional scalp EEG, the recording is
obtained by placing electrodes on the scalp with
a conductive gel or paste, usually after
preparing the scalp area by light abrasion to
reduce impedance due to dead skin cells. Many
systems typically use electrodes, each of which
is attached to an individual wire.
FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE
IMAGING
It exploits the changes in the magnetic
properties of hemoglobin as it carries
oxygen. Activation of a part of the brain
increases oxygen levels there increasing the
ratio of oxyhemoglobin to deoxyhemoglobin.
APPLICATIONS
Provide disabled people with communication,
environment control, and movement restoration.
Provide enhanced control of devices such as wheelchairs,
vehicles, or assistance robots for people with disabilities.
Provide additional channel of control in computer games.
Monitor attention in long-distance drivers or aircraft pilots,
send out alert and warning for aircraft pilots.
Develop intelligent relaxation devices.
Control robots that function in dangerous or
inhospitable situations (e.g., underwater or in extreme
heat or cold).
Create a feedback loop to enhance the benefits of
certain therapeutic methods.
Develop passive devices for monitoring function,
such as monitoring long-term drug effects, evaluating
psychological state, etc.
Monitor stages of sleep
Artificial brains are man-made machines
that are just as intelligent, creative, and selfaware as humans. No such machine has yet
been built, but it is only a matter of time.
RETINAL PROSTHESIS
During the early 1970s, it was found that
blind humans can also perceive electrically
elicited phosphenes in response to ocular
simulation, with a contact lens on the cornea as
the stimulating electrode.
Analysis of eyes, with outer retinal
degeneration suggests that cells are present, but
the retinal circuitry is disrupted. Morphometric
analysis of the retinitis pigmentosa retina has
revealed that many more inner nuclear layer cells
are retained compared to outer nuclear layer, and
ganglion cell layer.
RETINAL IMPLANT
It is a biomedical implant technology
meant to partially restore useful vision to
people who have lost their vision due to
degenerative eye conditions such as
retinitis pigmentosa or macular
degeneration.
Retinal implants provide the user with
low resolution images by electrically
stimulating surviving retinal cells. Such
images may be sufficient in restoring
specific visual abilities, such as light
perception and object recognition.
CORTICAL PROSTHESIS
Many blind individuals would not benefit from
retinal prosthesis because it relies on the circuitry of
the brain to transmit electrical signals from the eye
to the visual cortex. If the circuitry is not functional,
a prosthesis must bypass these systems and
intervene directly at the cortical level.
OPTIC NERVE PROSTHESIS
The optic nerve is electrically stimulated by
externally connected stimulators. The optic nerve
simulations results into phosphene sensitivity over a broad
segment of the visual field. In optic nerve implants, a
camera captures an image and the electrode array
stimulates the optic nerve. After a certion period of
training, the person with optic nerve implant will be able to
form recognition, spacial localization, motion detection,
and color vision.
MECHANICAL EFFECTS OF IMPLANTATION
OF RETINAL PROSTHESIS
The Retinal tissue is delicate and can easily tear or
detach from the back of the eye. The delicate nature of the
retinal tissue can also predispose necrosis by a chronic
implant being placed on it. Increased intraocular pressure,
typical n glaucoma, can lead to damage to the retinal
ganglion cells and significant visual loss. Also, there is an
abundant blood supply within and underneath the retina.
Disruption of this vasculature can lead to chronic
inflammation or new blood vessel formation, both of which
can lead to retinal damage.
ATTACHMENT OF THE IMPLANT OF THE
RETINA
Any implanted device will be exposed to the
ocular movements hence, it requires a stable
fixation to its intended anatomic location. Ocular
rotational movements have been recorded to
reach 700 visual angle/sec. These extreme
movements can dislodge the epiretinal device and
move it away from the required location.
Various approaches of the attachment of the
epiretinal implant or device to the retina such as
bioadhesives, retinal tacks, and magnets have been
considered and tested as some of the methods for
array attachment. Retinal tacks and the electrode
array have been shown to be firmly attached to the
retina for up to 1 year of follow-up with no significant
clinical or histological side effects.
