Neural engineering and rehabilitation research applies neuroscience and engineering methods to analyze central and peripheral nervous system function and to design clinical solutions for neurological disorders or injury. Through the application of basic science and engineering techniques, neural engineers develop methods to record from and exert control over the nervous system and associated organ systems. Primary faculty, associated faculty, research associates, and students work in three national centers of education and research in neural engineering and rehabilitation. Our research teams collaborate with four local major medical facilities: MetroHealth Medical Center, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic, and The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. Neural engineering facilities allow researchers to take ideas from basic science through experimental testing and to clinical deployment. Neural engineering research teams are funded by commercial partnerships and grants, including those from the State of Ohio, National Institutes of Health, and other federal sources. Below are a few examples of the ongoing research and applications in neural engineering and rehabilitation.
Neuromodulation
Clinical and experimental technologies for treating and managing consequences of stroke, epilepsy, pain, spinal cord injury, genitourinary function, movement disorders, autonomic functions, and psychiatric disorders.
Prosthetics and Orthotics
Implanted devices to directly communicate with residual nervous system functions for the control of assistive technologies, as well as to provide sensory feedback in amputee prosthetics.
Neural Interfaces
Design of both stimulating and recording electrode technologies for interfacing with the nervous system.
Neural and Biomechanical Computation
Simulation tools for evaluating Neuromodulation, Prosthetic, and Neural Interface technologies.
• Advanced Platform Technology Center
• Autonomic Neural Prostheses and Neurophysiology Laboratory
• Case Neuromodulation Center
• Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center (FES)
• Functional Neural Interface Lab (FNI)
• Jenkins Laboratory, Biomedical Optics
• Neural Engineering Center
• Neurological Surgery Imaging Laboratory
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Development and control of brain-computer-interface (BCI) technologies for restoring function to individuals who have experienced severely debilitating injuries to the nervous system, such as spinal cord injury and stroke
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To develop an understanding for how the neuroinflammatory response facilitates acute and long-term neural device performance.
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Control of neuroprostheses for restoration of motor function; neuromechanics; and modeling of neuromusculoskeletal systems |
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Neural engineering; neural interfacing; neural prostheses; computational neuroscience; neural dynamics; neuromodulation; neurophysiology and control of epilepsy
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Dr. Graczyk’s research aims to understand the neural coding of somatosensation and to restore and augment sensory capabilities through neural stimulation in humans. Dr. Graczyk’s lab combines clinical studies, computational neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, and artificial intelligence to examine the perception and utilization of sensory information for translation to persons both with and without sensory deficits. |
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Neural engineering; neural prostheses; neurophysiology and neural control of genitourinary function; devices to restore genitourinary function; and functional neuromuscular stimulation
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Focuses on developing new technology and therapies for autonomic dysfunction, congenital heart defects, and opioid-induced disorders. Advancement categories: infrared neuromodulation, imaging, and drug development. |
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Restoration of movement using neuroprostheses; neuroprosthesis control system design; natural control of human movements; biomechanics of movement; computer-based modeling; and system identification
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Fundamental and translational neural engineering activities. Primary areas of interest are anodic stimulation, low-amplitude neuromodulation (e.g., sub-perception stimulation of peripheral nerve or spinal cord) and photobiomodulation effects on neural elements. Brings 16+ years of industry experience in the medical device field focused on Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) systems. |
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Rehabilitation engineering in spinal cord injury; neural prostheses; and functional electrical stimulation and technology transfer
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Development of technologies for clinical decision support and neuro-rehabilitation; other areas of interest include closed loop therapies, wearables, and low cost physiological sensors. |
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Development of minimally invasive neural interfaces for lower risk, lower cost, and higher impact applications in bioelectronic medicine and neural prostheses; other areas of interest include neuroanatomy and physiology, biomaterials, drug delivery, and inflammation.
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Restore/ or enhance the upright and seated mobility, posture and balance in individuals with neuro-musculo-skeletal disorders.
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Sensory restoration; human-machine symbiosis; neuromimetic neuroprostheses; laryngeal neuroprostheses; clinical implementation of nerve electrodes; cortical neuroprostheses; minimally invasive implantation techniques; and modeling of neural stimulation and neuroprostheses |
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Focus on experiential education including engineering design, programming, data acquisition/processing, and fabrication. Research interests include control of prosthetics and assistive technology for stroke and spinal cord injury. |
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Human musculoskeletal modeling and development of control systems for rehabilitation of individuals with spinal cord injury and other balance disorders. Design of rehabilitation devices for physically challenged individuals.
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Dr. Chiang’s research focuses on applying neural modulation by electrical and optogenetic stimulation for epilepsy treatments and studying the non-synaptic mechanisms of seizure generation and seizure control.
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Dr. McCallum's research interests include the development of peripheral nerve interfaces, low-noise neural recording systems, and implantable biotelemetry devices. |
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Alberts, Jay |
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine phone: (216) 445-322 |
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Burgess, Richard C. |
Cleveland Clinic Foundation phone: (216) 444-7008 |
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Chae, John |
MetroHealth Medical Center phone: (216) 778-3472 |
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Chiel, Hillel J. |
Case Western Reserve University phone: (216) 368-3846 |
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Jenkins, Michael |
University Hospitals email: michael.jenkins@case.edu |
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Kilgore, Kevin |
MetroHealth Medical Center phone: (216) 778-3801 |
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Taylor, Dawn |
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine phone: (216) 778-3480 |
