Cortivis - Cortical Visual Neuroprosthesis for the blind

Summary

The Civish project offers new hope for individuals with severe vision loss due to retinal, optic nerve, or brain damage. It focuses on developing a visual rehabilitation system that interfaces with the visual cortex. Using electrical stimulation, the system encodes visual signals through a miniature camera and sends them to the brain using microelectrodes. This innovative approach aims to help visually impaired individuals regain some visual perception by stimulating the primary visual cortex. The project involves collaboration between six universities, a research center, and a medical technology company.

Takeaways

• 😀 Loss of vision presents significant challenges in societies that rely heavily on sight.
• 😀 There are currently no effective treatments for individuals with profound vision loss due to degeneration or damage to the retina, optic nerve, or brain.
• 😀 Electrical stimulation along the visual pathway has shown promise in evoking visual perceptions, offering new hope for visually impaired individuals.
• 😀 The Civish project is focused on developing a prototype for visual rehabilitation that interfaces with the visual cortex.
• 😀 The visual neurois developed in the project uses intracortical microstimulation through microelectrode arrays implanted into the primary visual cortex.
• 😀 The system includes a neuromorphic encoder that encodes visual signals captured by a miniature camera into electrical pulses, or spikes.
• 😀 These electrical pulses are sent to the brain via an emitter that also supplies energy to the implanted device inside the skull.
• 😀 A receiver implanted in the brain receives the spikes and sends information to the microelectrode stimulator.
• 😀 The microelectrode stimulator then excites the primary visual cortex cells based on the spike events coded by the neuromorphic encoder.
• 😀 The project involves collaboration between six university laboratories, one research center, and a company with expertise in developing high-tech medical devices.

Q & A

What are the main challenges faced by individuals with vision loss?

Individuals with vision loss face extraordinary challenges, especially in a society that relies heavily on sight. These challenges are heightened for those suffering from degeneration or damage to the retina, optic nerve, or even the brain, as there are currently no effective treatments for profound visual impairments.

What is the primary aim of the Civish project?

The Civish project aims to develop a prototype in the field of visual rehabilitation that can interface with the visual cortex to restore or assist vision in individuals with severe visual impairments.

How does electrical stimulation relate to visual perception in this project?

Electrical stimulation of almost any location along the visual path can evoke visual perceptions. This is a key concept in the Civish project, which uses this technique to stimulate the brain and create visual experiences for those with impaired vision.

What is the role of the neuromorphic encoder in the Civish system?

The neuromorphic encoder in the Civish system encodes the visual signal captured by a miniature digital camera into a sequence of spikes, or electrical pulses, which can be interpreted by the brain.

How does the information from the encoder reach the brain?

The information encoded as electrical spikes is sent from the neuromorphic encoder to an emitter. The emitter transmits this information and supplies energy to the implant inside the skull, where it is then received by a microelectrode stimulator implanted in the brain.

What is the function of the microelectrode stimulator in this system?

The microelectrode stimulator excites the cells of the primary visual cortex with the spike events coded by the neuromorphic encoder, effectively stimulating the brain to evoke visual perceptions.

What are the components of the Civish visual rehabilitation system?

The Civish system consists of several key components: a neuromorphic encoder, an emitter, a receiver implanted in the brain, and a microelectrode stimulator that excites the visual cortex.

How do the University laboratories and research centers contribute to the Civish project?

Six university laboratories, one technological research center, and one company with expertise in developing high-tech medical devices have combined their resources and efforts to research and develop the Civish system.

What role does the receiver implanted in the brain play in the system?

The receiver implanted in the brain receives the spike information from the emitter and sends it to the microelectrode stimulator, which then activates the visual cortex to simulate vision.

What makes the Civish project an innovative solution in visual rehabilitation?

The Civish project is innovative because it utilizes intracortical microstimulation to directly stimulate the visual cortex, potentially restoring some degree of vision or visual perception in individuals who have suffered significant damage to their visual pathways.