Chet T. Moritz
Assistant Professor
Rehabilitation Medicine
Physiology & Biophysics
University of Washington School of Medicine

Ph.D. Integrative Biology
University of California, Berkeley, 2003
(206) 598-8102
ctmoritz@uw.edu

Neuroprosthetic technology for the treatment of paralysis and other movement disorders

Motor paralysis from stroke or spinal cord injury can be severe and long-lasting, despite damage to a relatively small area of the nervous system. Our goal is to develop neuroprosthetic devices capable of bypassing these damaged areas and restoring volitional control of movement to paralyzed limbs. We have recently demonstrated that this approach is feasible by using activity recorded from motor cortex to directly control electrical stimulation of paralyzed muscles.

In addition to replacing lost motor function, we are also attempting to guide and promote the regeneration of damaged neural tissue. Targeted electrical microstimulation can be used to increase the strength of synaptic connections among neurons via mechanisms of Hebbian plasticity. We are investigating whether this synchronous stimulation, applied across an injury site, can guide neurons to make connections with appropriate targets.

We are also testing novel methods for the physical therapy and rehabilitation of movement disorders. We have developed a portable visual feedback device to train children with cerebral palsy (CP) to produce functional muscle synergies. By connecting the activity of impaired muscles to control the movements of popular computer games, we are able to improve volitional control of coordinated muscle activity.