Combining a neural bypass and a neural allograft to develop a prosthetic thalamus

A system and strategy are proposed in this chapter for the restoration of communication after the formation of lesions in the nervous system. Let us consider the three domains in the nervous system that sequentially transmit information as follows: the first region sends afferent (e.g. sensory) information to a second relay site (e.g. the thalamus), from which it is transferred to a third target region (e.g. the cortex). We propose a system and method consisting of two sequential implants: (a) first, a neural bypass that bridges the lesioned site and (b) second, a graft of neurons into the lesioned site.