Abstract: Neurological conditions such as spinal cord injury (SCI) or stroke can cause significant gait impairments. These, in turn, profoundly affect the independence and quality of life of those affected. A sedentary lifestyle associated with these conditions can also lead to many medical comorbidities, which significantly augment the healthcare costs and present a public health concern. In the U.S. alone, the primary and secondary healthcare costs associated with SCI and stroke are estimated to exceed $100 B/year. Currently, no biomedical solutions can reverse the loss of motor/sensory function after these conditions, and the best physiotherapies provide only limited recovery. Therefore, these conditions urgently need novel approaches. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which aim to bypass neurological lesions through neurotechnology, may be a promising approach. In this presentation, I will discuss how BCIs can be used for either neuroprosthetic or neurorehabilitation purposes to address gait impairments after SCI or stroke. Most of our work has focused on noninvasive electroencephalogram-based BCIs, but some recent studies have explored the utility of invasive electrocorticogram-based BCIs.
Bio: Zoran Nenadic received a Diploma degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Belgrade (Serbia) and his M.S. and D.Sc. degrees in Systems Science and Mathematics from Washington University (St. Louis, MO). He subsequently joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA) as a postdoctoral scholar. Since 2005, he has been with the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at the University of California (UC) Irvine. From 2019 to 2024, he served as William J. Link BME Department Chair. His research interests lie in neuroengineering with a focus on the development of technologies to restore or rehabilitate functions lost due to neurological conditions, such as spinal cord injury or stroke. His primary research support has come from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health. He has received several research awards, including the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award and the Hiruma-Wagner Award from the Japanese Research Foundation for Opto-Science and Technology. His research accomplishments have been featured in numerous media outlets, including Time Magazine, Reuters, Fox Business, and The Doctors. For his teaching efforts, he received multiple BME Professor of the Year distinctions from UC Irvine’s Engineering Student Council. He is a fellow of AIMBE.
Abstract: Neurological conditions such as spinal cord injury (SCI) or stroke can cause significant gait impairments. These, in turn, profoundly affect the independence and quality of life of those affected. A sedentary lifestyle associated with these conditions can also lead to many medical comorbidities, which significantly augment the healthcare costs and present a public health concern. In the U.S. alone, the primary and secondary healthcare costs associated with SCI and stroke are estimated to exceed $100 B/year. Currently, no biomedical solutions can reverse the loss of motor/sensory function after these conditions, and the best physiotherapies provide only limited recovery. Therefore, these conditions urgently need novel approaches. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which aim to bypass neurological lesions through neurotechnology, may be a promising approach. In this presentation, I will discuss how BCIs can be used for either neuroprosthetic or neurorehabilitation purposes to address gait impairments after SCI or stroke. Most of our work has focused on noninvasive electroencephalogram-based BCIs, but some recent studies have explored the utility of invasive electrocorticogram-based BCIs.
Bio: Zoran Nenadic received a Diploma degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Belgrade (Serbia) and his M.S. and D.Sc. degrees in Systems Science and Mathematics from Washington University (St. Louis, MO). He subsequently joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA) as a postdoctoral scholar. Since 2005, he has been with the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at the University of California (UC) Irvine. From 2019 to 2024, he served as William J. Link BME Department Chair. His research interests lie in neuroengineering with a focus on the development of technologies to restore or rehabilitate functions lost due to neurological conditions, such as spinal cord injury or stroke. His primary research support has come from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health. He has received several research awards, including the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award and the Hiruma-Wagner Award from the Japanese Research Foundation for Opto-Science and Technology. His research accomplishments have been featured in numerous media outlets, including Time Magazine, Reuters, Fox Business, and The Doctors. For his teaching efforts, he received multiple BME Professor of the Year distinctions from UC Irvine’s Engineering Student Council. He is a fellow of AIMBE.