Introduction to neuroprosthetics

A common component of all the systems in Figure 1.1 is the need to interact directly with nerves. The system must either collect signals from nerves or generate signals on nerves, or both. The interaction may be with individual nerve cells and fibers or with nerve trunks containing hundreds to millions of axons. Just as important is the need to understand and speak the language of the nervous system and understanding that the language changes as the signaling requirements change. For example, the auditory and optic nerve systems have very different organizations, levels of signaling, and processing complexity as dictated by the different nature of the auditory and visual inputs. A neuroprosthesis, therefore, is a device or system that communicates with nerves to restore as much of the functionality of the nervous system as possible.