A neurochip that allows you to read the thoughts of paralyzed people

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According to the World Health Organization, every year from 250,000 to 500,000 people around the world lose their ability to move as a result of spinal cord injuries, and as a result become disabled. As a result of recent experiments, scientists managed to achieve tremendous results that give people hope to leave the wheelchair and return to a full life.

The first attempts of scientists were more than 20 years ago. Professor Gregoire Curtin and the Christopher Reeve Foundation began to address this topic. He created a team of neuroscientists, surgeons, physiotherapists, and engineers who tried to solve the problem. The results of the experiments were successfully carried out on mice and monkeys. But in connection with the death of Christopher Reeve, research dragged on. And only recently, the Swiss celebrated success.

The experiment was conducted on two macaques, in which the spinal cord was partially cut. One monkey with paralyzed right foot learned to walk in 6 days, the other in two weeks.

Over time, scientists have refined technologies that could be used to rehabilitate people. And at present, Swiss neurophysiologists have managed to invent a device that makes it possible to understand the thoughts and desires of people shackled after an accident or serious illness.

Scientists have long tried to help people with the "isolation syndrome" by proving that patients can still think. This disease represents the final stage in the development of slowly progressing neurodegenerative diseases. An example would be diseases of the nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, Corticobasal degeneration, “Lu Gehrig’s disease,” resulting from brain injury, intoxication, and drug abuse.

While the disease progresses, the patient seems to lose himself, has difficulty in moving, frequent cramps in the arms and legs. The final stage is the difficulty of swallowing and breathing, and talking.

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The well-known German neurologist Niels Birbaumer from Germany conducted an experiment with a group of specialists; four patients diagnosed with ALS were at the stage, when it was difficult to breathe. The purpose of this study: to understand and prove that people with such a disease have the ability to think and help them communicate with the outside world. Thanks to the neurochip and the brain interface, this is a technology by which the brain transfers information to a computer, and it, in turn, converts data into a computer-understandable language.

In the experiment, experts used a magnetic resonance imager to track the brain, and an infrared spectroscope, which makes it possible to control the activity of nerve cells and the amount of oxygen they consume.

After a long study of the human body, scientists came to the conclusion that our body has transparency, which is capable of transmitting thermal radiation, which varies on average 800 nanometers, which is exactly what hemoglobin consumes. Therefore, the device shows the darkest color if the cell receives the largest amount of oxygen from red blood cells.

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A group of scientists found that when observing the functioning of the brain in healthy people there are certain characteristics of the brain's response to simple questions. The fact is that the concentration of hemoglobin release varies depending on the answer “yes” / “no”. With a positive answer, the proportion increases, the spot acquires a color closer to red. And with a negative answer, it does not change or decreases, that is, it becomes blue-green. Nils Birbaumer and a group of scientists relied precisely on this idea, and developed a special program that could translate such signals into answers “yes” and “no”.

This experiment was conducted on four paralyzed people of different sexes, whose guardians agreed. The results of the scientists were astounded. Because with the help of the developed program, the participants in the experiment correctly managed to answer questions, recognize their loved ones, and try to talk with relatives. The signals received with the help of the program helped paralyzed people to talk, which, in fact, they were very pleased. It is important that many of the participants were on mechanical ventilation, which proved the incredibility and uniqueness of this development.

The results of the experiment were able to confirm that even in a paralyzed state, a person wants to communicate with people, they have a desire and hope for recovery.

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Scientists claim that the experiment proves that further study and development will help to develop the full-fledged formation of a speech signal according to certain parameters, as well as devices that can help paralyzed people learn to move independently.
Consider another example of American scientists from the Battel Research Organization, which several years ago was able to make a discovery in the treatment of a paralyzed person.

In 2010, as a result of an accident, a young man named Jan Burchart was confined to a wheelchair. He was not disabled from birth, and wanted to learn to control his body again, which is why he agreed to the operation, which was an experiment.

At the American Medical Center in Ohio, Jan Burhart underwent an operation to implant a special chip in the brain, which was developed by scientists. For a couple of weeks, Jan needed to learn how to control and move his hand virtually on the monitor screen. His main tasks included the ability to concentrate mentally in order to be able to perform a certain action. The training was a success.

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After a training program on a computer, Yana began to connect to special devices. A special bracelet was put on the arm, stimulating the muscles of the arm with the help of electrodes. And the implanted chip in the head was connected to a special device with wires, which allowed to send certain signals from brain impulses to the machine, which were converted in the machine itself, and only then sent signals to the bracelets. The process itself is clearly visible in the picture. After various attempts, Jan began to manage to unclench fingers on his hand. Then he was able to independently move his wrist, raise and lower it.

The achievements of this experiment was that Ian was able to hold a spoon in his hand with a previously paralyzed hand. This was an amazing achievement in medicine and science.

Thanks to this, scientists continue their research and experiments in order to help paralyzed people to fully learn how to work with their limbs in the future.
Of course, technology needs to be further developed, the speed of information transfer must be very high so that a person can control their movements in real time, rather than freezing. And the device should be miniature and reliable.

According to Professor Gregoire Curtin, such technologies in bioelectronic treatment that will help paralyzed people return to a full life will be available by 2020. But now such developments open up great opportunities and give hope to millions of people for independent movement and assistance in synthesizing their speech.


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