Natural neural sensing and artificial muscle control in man.

In the intact organism, specialised sensors in the skin, muscles and joints provide sensory feedback information that is normally used by the central nervous system to regulate and update the motor output. Many sensory functions remain intact after spinal cord injury or stroke. Here we demonstrate that natural sensory nerve activity in man can be chronically recorded, and that the recorded neural activity can provide sensory feedback signals for an event-driven artificial reflex control of paralysed muscles.