The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health, announces the availability of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to support research on Cortical Control of Neural Prostheses. The goal of this research is to establish the feasibility of generating control signals from cortical neurons involved in the voluntary control of limb movement. The focus of this research will be on the development of chronic microelectrode recording techniques in primates with a gyrencephalic brain, which can realistically be adapted to human implantation. There will also be research on extracting control signals from the recorded neural activities. Results from this area of research are needed by the Neural Prosthesis Program for providing information on the design of microelectrode recording array, the selection of recording sites, the number of cells required for providing stable and functional control signals, and the plasticity in recorded cell populations when the neural activity is co-opted to control an artificial device. Based on the results of these studies the contractors will make recommendations about the feasibility of future human studies. Experiments on human subjects, however, are not included in the current supported research program. It is anticipated that two cost-reimbursement type contract will be made for a period of four years in September 2002. This is not a Request for Proposals (RFP). THIS SOLICITATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY ONLY. It will be available electronically and may be accessed through the FedBizOpps (URL: http://www.fedbizopps.gov) or through the NINDS website at the following URL address: (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/currentrfps.htm) 15 or more calendar days after the issuance of this synopsis. OFFERORS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ROUTINELY CHECKING THIS WEBSITE FOR ANY POSSIBLE SOLICITATION AMENDMENTS THAT MAY BE ISSUED. NO INDIVIDUAL NOTIFICATION OF ANY AMENDMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED. All responsible sources may submit a proposal, which shall be considered by the agency. Refer to numbered note 26. ****

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