A Roadmap for Implanting Electrode Arrays to Evoke Tactile Sensations Through Intracortical Stimulation

ABSTRACT Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is a method for restoring sensation to people with paralysis as part of a bidirectional brain–computer interface (BCI) to restore upper limb function. Evoking tactile sensations of the hand through ICMS requires precise targeting of implanted electrodes. Here we describe the presurgical imaging procedures used to generate functional maps of the hand area of the somatosensory cortex and subsequent planning that guided the implantation of intracortical microelectrode arrays. In five participants with cervical spinal cord injury, across two study locations, this procedure successfully enabled ICMS‐evoked sensations localized to at least the first four digits of the hand. The imaging and planning procedures developed through this clinical trial provide a roadmap for other BCI studies to ensure the successful placement of stimulation electrodes. Functional imaging of the somatosensory cortex in people with spinal cord injury enabled planning for precise electrode array placement in the brain for a brain–computer interface. Stimulation through electrodes in the somatosensory cortex generated sensations of touch in digits that matched the functional imaging results used for placement.