Paraplegic Walks Again With Electronic Brain-Spine Bridge
Scientists implanted two small arrays of electrodes in the patient's skull, one on each side of his head above the motor cortex, the part of the brain that controls movement
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Gert-Jan Oskam, a Dutch man whose spinal cord was damaged in a bicycle accident, is able to walk again, thanks to an electronic “bridge” that transmits signals from his brain to the spinal column below the injury.
Scientists implanted two small arrays of electrodes in Oskam’s skull, one on each side of his head above the motor cortex, the part of the brain that controls movement.
The electrodes detect signature electrical patterns in the cortex that indicate when Oskam wants to stand or walk. The electrodes send the signals wirelessly to a notebook computer that has been trained to recognize the signals. Oskam carries the computer in a backpack.
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The computer then sends the commands to a receiver wired to his spine below the point of injury. The signals enter the spine and his limbs respond as if the instructions came directly from his brain instead of having been rerouted through an electronic circuit.
After 40 training sessions, Oskam can climb stairs, get in and out of a car, and once again can stand at a bar and drink a beer.
The device worked because Oskam still had some remaining sensation in his lower body. Researchers have more work to do to create a device that will bring the same benefits to people whose spinal cords have been completely severed.
The technology’s developers have formed a company to streamline the technology, continue testing it on more humans, and develop a similar system for people with spinal injuries higher up their backs.
TRENDPOST: The brain is an electrical device. Bioengineers will continue finding new ways to use the brain’s electrical circuitry to control not only parts of the body, consciously or subconsciously, but also to control external electronic devices.