Computer Brain Implants Aid the Paralyzed

The latest development in brain-computer interface technology presents a potential way to replace or restore lost motor function in paralyzed humans.

John Donoghue and colleagues at Brown University have demonstrated a patient paralyzed by a spinal cord injury can move a cursor on a screen simply by thinking about it.

The movement is made possible by a device known as a neuromotor prosthesis, or NMP, consisting of a sensor with an array of electrodes implanted in the patient’s brain in at area known as motor cortex. Information recorded by the electrodes is decoded and processed by a computer, allowing neural firing patterns to be translated into movement commands that can be used to drive computer cursors or prosthetic devices.

In a related development, Krishna Shenoy and colleagues at Stanford University address the system performance of NMPs. They show a fast and accurate system, capable of communicating information at a rate approximately equivalent to typing 15 words per minute on a keyboard, is achievable.

Both developments are presented in this week’s issue of the journal Nature.