Peripheral neural interface via nerve regeneration to distal tissues

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10898351-B2
Application number	US-201615233241-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2016
Priority date	Oct 22, 2013
Publication date	Jan 26, 2021
Grant date	Jan 26, 2021

Abstract

At least partial function of a human limb is restored by surgically removing at least a portion of an injured or diseased human limb from a surgical site of an individual and transplanting a selected muscle into the remaining biological body of the individual, followed by contacting the transplanted selected muscle, or an associated nerve, with an electrode, to thereby control a device, such as a prosthetic limb, linked to the electrode. Simulating proprioceptive sensory feedback from a device includes mechanically linking at least one pair of agonist and antagonist muscles, wherein a nerve innervates each muscle, and supporting each pair with a support, whereby contraction of the agonist muscle of each pair will cause extension of the paired antagonist muscle. An electrode is implanted in a muscle of each pair and electrically connected to a motor controller of the device, thereby simulating proprioceptive sensory feedback from the device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of replicating at least partial function of an injured or diseased human limb, comprising the steps of:
a) surgically removing at least a portion of an injured or diseased human limb from a surgical site of a biological body of an individual, leaving selected biological tissue, of at least one of skin and muscle, from the surgically-removed portion of the injured or diseased human limb intact, with a nerve associated with the selected biological tissue, the associated nerve being left intact along its entire length, and dissecting the selected biological tissue with its associated nerve to separate them from the surgically removed portion of the injured or diseased human limb;
b) translocating the selected biological tissue with its associated nerve into the biological body of the individual;
c) contacting, directly or indirectly, the at least one translocated biological tissue or its associated nerve with at least one component that provides stimulation to, or is actuated by, the translocated selected biological tissue with its associated nerve, whereby signals are transmitted to or from the nerve associated with the translocated biological tissue; and
d) with a controller, linked to the component, sensing or controlling a device that extends from the surgical site to replicate at least partial function of the surgically-removed portion of the injured or diseased human limb.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is a prosthetic, orthotic, or exoskeletal limb.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the translocated biological tissue includes skin.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the skin is from at least one member selected from the group consisting of a hand and a foot of the individual.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the component provides stimulation by applying pressure to the skin of the translocated biological tissue.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the component is an external component of the device, the external component providing stimulation to the translocated biological tissue.

7. The method of claim 1 , further including the steps of:
a) linking the nerve associated with the translocated biological tissue with the controller; and
b) selectively stimulating the nerve associated with the translocated biological tissue with the controller through the component.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the nerve associated with the translocated biological tissue includes at least one intact sensory nerve selected from the group consisting of sural, saphenous, tibial, peroneal, median, ulnar and radial nerves.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the nerve associated with the translocated biological tissue is linked to the controller by a wireless connection between the controller and implanted electronics connected to the nerve associated with the translocated biological tissue.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the translocated biological tissue includes skin.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the translocated biological tissue includes translocated muscle, wherein the component provides stimulation to the translocated muscle, and the method further includes implanting the component on an epimysium component of the translocated muscle or implanting the component intramuscularly in the translocated muscle.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one component comprises at least one nerve cuff that contacts the nerve associated with the selected biological tissue and that includes connectors linked to the controller.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the component is linked to the controller by a wireless connection.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the translocated biological tissue is muscle, wherein the method further includes the steps of receiving signals from the translocated biological tissue, and transmitting the received signals to the controller.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the component is an electrode.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Herr Hugh M
• Riso Ronald R
• Song Katherine W
• Casler Jr Richard J
• Carty Matthew J

Classifications

• A61B5/395

  Details of stimulation, e.g. nerve stimulation to elicit EMG response · CPC title

• A61F2/482

  Electrical means · CPC title

• A61B5/4029

  for evaluating the peripheral nervous systems (using bioelectric or biomagnetic signals A61B5/24) · CPC title

• A61F2002/607

  Lower legs · CPC title

• A61B2017/1135

  End-to-side connections, e.g. T- or Y-connections · CPC title