MIND OVER MATTER? Brain-computer interface bypasses the spinal cord to return function

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Researchers with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis have implanted electrodes at the surface of the brain of a high level quadriplegic and then trained a computer to interpret the pattern of signals from those electrodes as he imagines opening and closing his hand. The computer then transfers the signal to a prosthetic on the person’s forearm, which then stimulates the appropriate muscles to cause his hand to close. The entire process takes 400 milliseconds from thought to grasp.

If you think this is a script right out of the movie, Robocop, think again. The subject of this experiment can now grab simple objects, like a block. He can bring a spoon to his mouth, feeding himself for the first time in six years. He can grasp a pen and scratch out some legible letters. He has begun experimenting with a treadmill that moves his limbs, allowing him to take steps forward or stop as he thinks about clenching or unclenching the fingers of his right hand.

Sounds remarkable? Read more about this study and the next phase of it HERE.

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