MASTER’S THESIS

MASTER’S THESIS

NeuroRestore is a research and innovation center spanning EPFL and the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV) that develops and applies medical therapies aimed to restore neurological functions. We integrate implantable neurotechnologies with innovative treatments developed through rigorous preclinical and clinical studies. These developments have led to breakthroughs for the treatment of paraplegia, tetraplegia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and traumatic brain injuries. By working with our network of vibrant high-tech start-ups and established medical technology companies, we are committed to validate our medical therapy concepts and see them used every day in rehabilitation clinics worldwide.

A computational approach to optimize spinal nerve recruitment during electrical stimulation

Spinal cord injury disrupts the communication between the brain and the spinal circuits below the lesion that generate and coordinate limb movements. Epidural Electrical Stimulation (EES) can restore movements of paralyzed limbs. The effects of EES vary depending on frequency, amplitude and location. To effectively restore walking, therapists need to calibrate a spectrum of stimulation protocols. Even for a simple functional movement such as walking, the calibration is performed over several weeks by expert engineers. This process presents a barrier for real-life worldwide use of the therapy, and may not be feasible for calibration of stimulation protocols used to restore more complex functional hand and arm movements.

In this Master thesis, we propose to optimize spinal nerve recruitment during electrical stimulation to re-establish locomotion of spinal cord injured people. The master student will work on optimizing the electrical field potential resulting of an electrode configuration using a personalized computational model of the patient’s spine cord. During this Master thesis, the student will learn concepts of Computational Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis.  

Prerequisites:

  • Python - Matplotlib/Mayavi/Pytorch/Pandas

  • Artificial intelligence/Data analysis

  • Computational Neuroscience

Location: .NeuroRestore (CHUV-Lausanne)

Contact: Gregory Dumont: gregory.dumont@epfl.ch

Jimmy Ravier