Neural Prostheses

Neural Prostheses

Our research in neural prostheses aims towards smallest technical systems to partially restore lost functions of the human neural system.

Every day, three to four persons become paralyzed in Germany. In Europe, 600,000 persons suffer from incurable diseases of the retina like retinitis pigmentosa or age related macula degeneration that finally leads to blindness.

So far, there is only limited help available for these persons. Neurological rehabilitation offers opportunities for some of those diseases to restore functions of the body by technical prostheses and implants, at least to some extent. Due to tremendous efforts in the fields of microsystem technology, microelectronics and material science some of the so-called neural prostheses could be transferred into clinical practice. Electrical stimulation helps deaf people to hear again with the help of cochlea implants. Paralyzed persons can empty their urinary bladder and perform simple grasping tasks. Deep brain stimulation helps persons with Parkinson’s disease. Brain-Computer-Interfaces (BCI) help people with the locked-in syndrome to communicate with their environment. In 2004, the first patients have been implanted in the USA within a pilot study. The distribution of neural prostheses worldwide has not yet reached the level of cardiac pacemakers that has been established as the first electrically active implant in clinical practice. However, the number of neural prostheses and their applications increases from year to year.