Developing Neural Prostheses for Spinal Injuries From: New Jersey Institute of Technology Development of neural prostheses - devices and technologies for interfacing with the central nervous system - are the focus of research by Associate Professor Mesut Sahin. His current project, funded by a grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, is to develop and test a technology known as FLAMES - floating light activated micro-electrical stimulators - for wireless activation of the central nervous system. Energized by an infrared light beam through an optical fiber located just outside the dura mater, the tough, fibrous membrane forming the outermost of the three coverings of the brain and spinal cord, these micro-stimulators allow victims of spinal cord injuries to regain self-mobility, environmental control and computer access. Sahin says this new wireless approach is an improvement over previous neural prostheses. Read the entire article at: http://www.njit.edu/features/innovations/sahin.php Links: NJIT Department of Biomedical Engineering http://biomedical.njit.edu/ Mesut Sahin http://biomedical.njit.edu/people/sahin.php Neural Interface Laboratory http://web.njit.edu/~sahin/ Floating Light Activated Micro-Electrical Stimulators http://web.njit.edu/~sahin/R2.html National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke http://www.ninds.nih.gov/ Micro-Electronic Stimulators for Spinal Cord Injuries http://www.pddnet.com/news-micro-electronic-stimulators-for-spinal-cord-injuries-101811/ Floating light-activated microelectrical stimulators tested in the rat spinal cord http://iopscience.iop.org/1741-2552/8/5/056012