Hand, Brain and Technology 2018

Conference Abstract

The tight functional coupling between hand and brain has made man "the most intelligent of animals" (Anaxagoras) and has greatly shaped the evolution of language, culture and technology. Any reduction or loss of hand function, whether of central or peripheral origin, has devastating effects on the independence and social integration of the affected individual. Any treatment, be it through human or technological intervention, must account for this unique coupling. As a result, hand and brain have drawn strong interest from the social, medical and engineering sciences alike. 

Of utmost relevance and increasing interest in the scientific community is the role of somatosensation – specifically the perception of touch, position and motion of the limbs – in the interaction between hand, brain and technology. Somatosensory errors drive motor learning, and motor deficits observed after neurological injury may have somatosensory origin. As such, somatosensory deficits may hinder recovery and alter the central representation of our limbs and body, and a lack of somatosensory feedback limits the use of advanced robotic prostheses. In order to successfully provide assistance, therapy and restoration of sensorimotor function in patient populations, the role of the somatosensory system in the interaction between hand and brain as well as sensorimotor and cognitive function needs to be better understood.

Conference Objectives

• Bring together leading researchers from the various disciplines investigating the somatosensory system, its role in motor function and recovery after neuromuscular injury, as well as its restoration 
• Change the dynamics of the field to become more integrative, by promoting interaction and collaboration between neuroscientists, physiologists, psychologists, clinicians, and engineers 
• Provide the opportunity for junior and advanced researchers to disseminate their work and interact with senior researchers (through talks followed by ample time for discussion, poster sessions, roundtables and personal interactions during breaks and social events) 
• Provide an update on the state of the art, highlight recent discoveries and identify future research directions

Special Lecture

external page Leah Krubitzer, PhD, University of California, Davis, USA
Evolution of the forelimb and cortical areas associated with limb use in mammals.

Public Lecture

external page Vincent Hayward, PhD, Sorbonne Université, France, and University of London, United Kingdom
external page Peter Brugger, PhD, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
More Than Skin Deep: What haptic illusions can teach about the brain

Confirmed Keynote Speakers

• external page Salvatore M. Aglioti, MD, Sapienza University of Rome and IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia Rome, Italy
  Vicarious experience of painful, pleasant, and intimate touch through immersive virtual reality
• external page Richard A. Andersen, PhD, Caltech, USA
  Advancing Neuroprosthetics with High-Dimensional Control and Stimulation Induced Somatosensory Feedback
• external page Sliman Bensmaia, PhD, University of Chicago, USA
  Toward the neural basis of stereognosis: Neural coding of hand proprioception and touch
  
• external page Ingvars Birznieks, PhD, University of New South Wales, Australia
  Talking to the brain in its own language
• external page Gregory A. Clark, PhD, University of Utah, USA
  Restoring High-resolution, Biofidelic Somatosensory Feedback in Humans After Hand Amputation
• external page Frédérique de Vignemont, PhD, CNRS, Jean Nicod Institute, France
  Stretching the body: Can one tickle a tool?
  
• external page Hubert Dinse, PhD, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
  Brains at your fingertips - Driving human plasticity and learning through sensory stimulation
• external page Aldo Faisal, PhD, Imperial College London, UK
  Towards understanding the dynamical representations for hand control
  
• external page Alessandro Farnè, PhD, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, France
  Grasping and Sensing the World through Tools
• external page Martin H. Fischer, PhD, University of Potsdam, Germany
  Numbers are handy concepts
• external page Robert Gaunt, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  Microstimulation of the human cortex to restore somatosensation
• external page Vincent Hayward, PhD, Sorbonne Université, France, and University of London, United Kingdom
  Tactile Mechanics
• external page Daniel Huber, PhD, University of Geneva, Switzerland
  Frequency selective encoding of substrate vibrations in the somatosensory cortex
  
• external page Roland Johansson, MD, PhD, Umea University, Sweden
  Fast and accurate macrogeometric tactile processing during object manipulation
• external page Alain Kaelin-Lang, MD, PhD, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Switzerland
  Neurological disorders of the hand: the neglected role of somatosensory inputs
• external page Derek Kamper, PhD, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
  Sensory feedback of movement/force characteristics in motor cortex during passive hand movement
• external page Katherine J. Kuchenbecker, PhD, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Germany
  Tactile Reality for Tool-Mediated Interactions
• external page Tamar Makin, PhD, University College London, United Kingdom
  Hand plasticity: Use-dependent S1 reorganisation in amputees
• external page Mackenzie Mathis, PhD, Harvard University, USA
  Somatosensory Cortex Plays an Essential Role in Forelimb Motor Adaptation in Mice
• external page Silvestro Micera, PhD, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
  The quest for a bionic hand: Recent achievements and future perspectives
• external page Lee Miller, PhD, Northwestern University and RIC, USA
  Restoring Proprioception via Cortical Stimulation: Challenges and Insights from Simultaneous Stimulation and Recording
• Mike D. Rinderknecht, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  Rapid Assessment and Adaptive Therapy of Proprioceptive Hand Function After Stroke
• external page Fabrice R. Sarlegna, PhD, CNRS & Aix-Marseille University, France
  Loss of Proprioception Impacts Perception, Action and Cognition: Evidence from Deafferented Patients
• external page Hans Scherberger, MD, PhD, German Primate Center and Georg August University of Göttingen, Germany
  Cortical sensory processing for grasping in primates
• external page Stephen H. Scott, PhD, Queen’s University, Canada
  Use of robots to study brain function and dysfunction
• external page Dustin Tyler, PhD, Case Western Reserve University, USA
  The Human-Technology Interface in the Periphery: Decoding, Encoding, and the Psychosocial Aspects of Long-Term Integration with the Sensorimotor System

Sponsors/Supporters

We greatfully acknowledge the financial support by the Congressi Stefano Franscini, the Swiss National Science Foundation and ETH Zurich, as well as all of our sponsors/supporters.

Clinical/Scientific Partners

As in 2014, we again have the pleasure of organizing the HBT 2018 conference in partnership and with the support of the external page Clinica Hildebrand Centro di Riabilitazione Brissago. We further gratefully acknowledge the support of the external page Rehaklinik Bellikon as our scientific and second clinical partner.

The Swiss Society for Biomedical Engineering is supporting the Hand, Brain and Technology 2018 conference with four conference fee waivers for SSBE members. To apply, mention your SSBE membership in the email of your conference abstract submission.