ABSTRACT
Electrical activation of the nervous system is a method to restore function to persons with neurological disorders due to disease or injury and a technique to study the form and function of the nervous system. Application of electrical stimulation, in the form of neural prostheses, is used to restore both motor and sensory functions. Although restoration of motor function has primarily been accomplished by activation of peripheral motor nerve fibers (i.e., last-order neurons), to restore complex motor functions it may be advantageous to access the nervous system at a higher level and use the intact neural circuitry to control the individual elements of the motor system,
which may be accomplished by intraspinal microstimulation.
