Issue link: http://uwashington.uberflip.com/i/641862
Over the coming decade, groundbreaking research at the intersection of computing and neuroscience could enable people suff ering from paralysis to move again. That's one of the goals of the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE), a cross- disciplinary collaboration among leading institutions that is housed at the University of Washington and funded by the National Science Foundation. First established in 2011 by former CSE Professor Yoky Matsuoka, today CSNE is directed by CSE Professor Raj Rao, an expert on brain-computer interfaces. Rao and his colleagues are developing bi-directional brain-computer interfaces that can interpret and wirelessly transmit brain signals. The technology is being used to create next-generation A MOVING STORY: REVERSING NEUROLOGICAL DAMAGE WITH NEX T-GENER ATION DEVICES implantable devices that can bypass damaged regions of the nervous system to restore movement, promote neuroplasticity and support rehabilitation in patients who have suff ered spinal cord injury or stroke. CSNE researchers are also working to improve existing implantable technologies—for example, deep brain simulators used to treat people with Parkinson's disease—to reduce negative side eff ects and cut down on the number of replacement surgeries required for patients living with such devices. Thanks to UW CSE and its partners, patients may one day be able to not only bypass damage from injury and illness, but reverse it. Under the leadership of UW CSE professor Raj Rao, the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering is conducting groundbreaking research in brain-computer interfaces.