Ahmad Abdal Qader
BME PhD Proposal Presentation

Date: 2025-11-07
Time: 11am
Location / Meeting Link: Health Sciences Research Building 2 (HSRB2) Rm N600 | Zoom Link: https://emory.zoom.us/j/2127371909

Committee Members:
Chethan Pandarinath PhD (advisor); Michael Borich, DPT, PhD; Zachary Danziger, PhD; Jeffrey Markowitz, PhD; Eric Trautmann, PhD


Title: Multimodal Augmentation of Intracortical Brain-Computer Interfaces with Residual Surface EMG for Performant, Stable Control

Abstract:
Tetraplegia affects more than 150,000 individuals in the United States, leading to severe loss of voluntary limb control and a reduced sense of agency and quality of life. Intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) use microelectrode arrays to record neural activity from the brain and translate (decode) it into control commands, which helps restore a level of lost function such as controlling a computer cursor or robotic arms. However, iBCIs suffer from two limitations that reduce their usability. First, the control performance is noisy and slow compared to able-bodied control, likely due to insufficient information about the intended movement parameters in the recorded neural activity. Second, small shifts in the implanted microelectrode arrays relative to the surrounding tissue introduce neural signal instabilities. This instability results in inconsistencies in the recorded neurons, which degrade the decoding performance and require frequent decoder recalibration. In this proposal, I aim to address these two limitations by using novel high-density surface electromyography (sEMG) devices that record residual muscle activations at the wrist. This residual sEMG can be present even in muscles that are functionally paralyzed. I will first augment neural activity with simultaneously recorded residual sEMG and assess how fusing the two modalities improves decoding performance (Aim 1). Then, I will design alignment models that use residual sEMG as a context signal to correct for neural recording instabilities and maintain decoding performance across days (Aim 2). This work will provide new strategies to improve iBCIs performance and stability through multimodal augmentation frameworks, and to advance iBCIs clinical viability for restoring lost motor function in individuals with paralysis.