Dr. Karen Moxon of the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems is making neuroengineering discoveries that previously only seemed possible in science fiction novels. Moxon's groundbreaking research could one day provide relief to those suffering from a range of brain-related disorders.

Moxon was part of a team led by Dr. John Chapin, formerly of MCP Hahnemann University (MCPHU), which in 1999 announced in Nature Neuroscience that it had succeeded in making lab rats control a robot arm through the activity of their brain cells. In experiments, rats were trained to control a robotic arm, pressing a lever to receive a drink of water. With implanted electrodes, the researchers were able to determine which neurons control the muscle movement. They then switched control of the robot arm from the lever to the electrodes.

This finding demonstrates the likelihood that electrodes may someday be implanted into the brains of humans who have lost limb function, allowing them to control a prosthetic device as they would their own biological limbs. Moxon also foresees using electrode-based technology to help sufferers of such disorders as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease.

Moxon, however, cautions that human application of these discoveries may be years away. She said more research is needed, and that is why she has developed a new type of electrode designed to give researchers more reliable data. Moxon's electrode is constructed of a ceramic material, which makes it smaller, more durable and more accurate than the silicon models currently in use. Moxon has submitted a patent application for the electrode.

"As the technology improves, we will be able to obtain better data. This will give us a greater understanding of how information is coded in our brains, leading to better medical devices," she said.

Moxon, who earned her master's and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in aerospace engineering, came to Drexel in January 2000. She previously worked at MCPHU in Chapin's lab, and she continues to be an adjunct professor there. She and Chapin are co-editors of a recently published book, Neural Prostheses for Restoration of Sensory and Motor Function. (CRC Press).

In addition to her research, Moxon is developing a concentration program in neuroengineering in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems. An initial course, Introduction to Neuroengineering, will be team-taught in the spring term by Drexel and MCPHU professors.