Brain Chip Offers Hope for Paralyzed

[Sharpshooter]

Brain chip offers hope for paralyzed
By Simon Hooper for CNN
Thursday, October 21, 2004 Posted: 0948 GMT (1748 HKT)

(CNN) -- A team of neuroscientists have successfully implanted a chip into the brain of a quadriplegic man, allowing him to control a computer.

Since the insertion of the tiny device in June, the 25-year-old has been able to check email and play computer games simply using thoughts. He can also turn lights on and off and control a television, all while talking and moving his head.

The chip, called BrainGate, is being developed by Massachusetts-based neurotechnology company Cyberkinetics, following research undertaken at Brown University, Rhode Island.

Results of the pilot clinical study will be presented to the Society for Neuroscience annual conference in San Diego, California, on Sunday. Up to five more patients are to be recruited for further research into the safety and potential utility of the device.

BrainGate offers the possibility of hitherto unimaginable levels of independence for the severely disabled.

Although many are able to control computers with their eyes or tongue, such techniques remain dependent on muscular function and require extensive training.

John Donoghue, professor of neuroscience at Brown and a co-founder of Cyberkinetics in 2001, said that BrainGate could help paralyzed peopled control wheelchairs and communicate using email and Internet-based phone systems.

"Our ultimate goal is to develop the BrainGate System so that it can be linked to many useful devices," said Donoghue, who this month received an innovation award from Discover Magazine for his work on BrainGate.

"This includes medical devices such as muscle stimulators, to give the physically disabled a significant improvement in their ability to interact with the world."

Donoghue's initial research, published in the science journal Nature in 2002, consisted of attaching an implant to a monkey's brain that enabled it to play a simple pinball computer game remotely.

The four-millimeter square chip, which is placed on the surface of the motor cortex area of the brain, contains 100 electrodes each thinner than a hair which detect neural electrical activity. The sensor is then connected to a computer via a small wire attached to a pedestal mounted on the skull.

"While these results are preliminary, I am extremely encouraged by what has been achieved to-date," said John Mukand of the Sargent Rehabilitation Center, who oversaw the pilot study.

"We now have early evidence that a person unable to move their arms, hands and legs can quickly gain control of a system which uses thoughts to control a computer and perform meaningful tasks. With additional development this may represent a significant breakthrough for people with severe disabilities."

Surgeon Gerhard Friehs, associate professor of clinical neurosciences at Brown Medical School, who implanted the device, described the results as "spectacular" and "almost unbelievable."

"Here we have a research participant who is capable of controlling his environment by thought alone -- something we have only found in science fiction so far," said Friehs.

"I hope that the trial will continue as successfully as it has started and that all other candidates will have as great an experience as our first candidate did."

[CaptainChewbacca]

This is amazing! I've also seen implants allow people to move robotic limbs with their minds. Sounds like we're on the verge of something big.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Wouldn't technology like this have the potential to literally increase the reaction time of a fighter pilot to the speed of light?

[Gil Hamilton]

This is an amazing medical discovery!

I also find it amazing that it only took two posts before someone brought up an application for this for the War Machine.

[darthdavid]

Can you imagine video gaming with this puppy? And the complaints that would arise "m1nd (h1p wh0r1n6 817(h..." etc...

[weemadando]

Wouldn't technology like this have the potential to literally increase the reaction time of a fighter pilot to the speed of light?

*HAB patrol cars screech to a halt, spotlights train on DoZ*

[over megaphone] Put down the crackpipe and step AWAY from the Dale Brown books. [/megaphone]


In all seriousness though, that is fucking cool, I know that this is a fucking important technology for a LOT of people.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Now, now, WMA, it wouldn't be traditional unless we had a post immediately in this thread devoted to crushing hopes and warmongering, now, would it?

[Danny Bhoy]

Didn't Tony Stark aka Iron Man also have a microchip implanted to help him walk after he got shot (JR'd by an ex or something?) and paralysed? Although in his case, IIRC, the chip was implanted in his spine.

[Broomstick]

Wouldn't technology like this have the potential to literally increase the reaction time of a fighter pilot to the speed of light?

>cough<

No, because human thought - that is, what's happening with neurons and synapses in the brain - doesn't move that fast.

[Admiral Valdemar]

>cough<

No, because human thought - that is, what's happening with neurons and synapses in the brain - doesn't move that fast.

I believe what Marina was going on about was that, without having to go at only 100 m/s using the motor neurones of the body to control the flight stick, you could use only your mind and sight and hearing stimuli as organic, but control the craft via fibre-optics. That would give far higher reactions simply by cutting the time the signal to move the plane takes to reach the servos rather than have your arm move instead. It'd also, given time, probably lead to more complex tasks being done, but right now that's a way off.

[Molyneux]

Cool...now we can create M.A.N.T.I.S., finally!

Seriously, that is very very cool. It's one step closer to being able to really, truly replace lost limbs or senses with artificial means, and a half-step closer to being able to augment human capabilities (via direct mental link to artificial devices, such as an echolocation unit). Now we just need to figure out how to send impulses the other way, so we can have limbs with feedback and artificial eyes for blind people.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

I believe what Marina was going on about was that, without having to go at only 100 m/s using the motor neurones of the body to control the flight stick, you could use only your mind and sight and hearing stimuli as organic, but control the craft via fibre-optics. That would give far higher reactions simply by cutting the time the signal to move the plane takes to reach the servos rather than have your arm move instead. It'd also, given time, probably lead to more complex tasks being done, but right now that's a way off.

That's correct.

[Elheru Aran]

The problem with the whole using the chip to increase pilot reaction time idea-- you're gonna get a LOT of crashed planes to start off with. Hence lots of simulator time, yes...

And then, what about EMP? Be kind of embarrassing if you find pilots coming back with their brains fried due to electrical pulses... of course, I've no idea how one would generate an electromagnetic pulse aside from a nuclear explosion, so I'll reserve comment on that until someone more knowledgeable can answer.

[Jaepheth]

Impressive...

and it'll be most impressive when they make it so the brain can recieve and correctly interpret data from a machine.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

The problem with the whole using the chip to increase pilot reaction time idea-- you're gonna get a LOT of crashed planes to start off with. Hence lots of simulator time, yes...

And then, what about EMP? Be kind of embarrassing if you find pilots coming back with their brains fried due to electrical pulses... of course, I've no idea how one would generate an electromagnetic pulse aside from a nuclear explosion, so I'll reserve comment on that until someone more knowledgeable can answer.

For one thing, a brain chip would be comprised of thousands of tiny electrodes, which lead back to an offboard computer which does the signal processing necessary to make sense out of the electrical potentials sensed by the electrodes. And these potentials they're sensing are tiny. You have to amplify the hell out of them first before you can plug them into a computer. To minimize noise, the input signals are going to be decoupled and isolated from the amplification and computing equipment. They may need to be heavily insulated, but they won't need to carry a lot of current. The result is that the wires leading from the computer to the brain will likely cease conducting long before any brain frying can occur.

Of course, this ignores the fact that an EMP pulse strong enough to burn out the electronics in a fly-by-wire aircraft will render the plane entirely unflyable anyway, and the only pilot response that will matter is if he or she can reach the ejection ring before the airplane tumbles lethally out of control.

[petesampras]

I believe what Marina was going on about was that, without having to go at only 100 m/s using the motor neurones of the body to control the flight stick, you could use only your mind and sight and hearing stimuli as organic, but control the craft via fibre-optics. That would give far higher reactions simply by cutting the time the signal to move the plane takes to reach the servos rather than have your arm move instead. It'd also, given time, probably lead to more complex tasks being done, but right now that's a way off.

That's correct.

The trouble is that the brain is hard-wired to control the body. Moving manual controls and getting feedback from you muscles and skin as you do it is how the brain expects to operate. Directly controling a plane via your thoughts is not. Not that it would be impossible, just that it could well be that the brain would operate better controling the plane in the traditional way despite the increased 'reaction' time.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

I believe what Marina was going on about was that, without having to go at only 100 m/s using the motor neurones of the body to control the flight stick, you could use only your mind and sight and hearing stimuli as organic, but control the craft via fibre-optics. That would give far higher reactions simply by cutting the time the signal to move the plane takes to reach the servos rather than have your arm move instead. It'd also, given time, probably lead to more complex tasks being done, but right now that's a way off.

That's correct.

The trouble is that the brain is hard-wired to control the body. Moving manual controls and getting feedback from you muscles and skin as you do it is how the brain expects to operate. Directly controling a plane via your thoughts is not. Not that it would be impossible, just that it could well be that the brain would operate better controling the plane in the traditional way despite the increased 'reaction' time.

Incorrect. We've done similar experiments on monkeys, which is to say, we implanted electrodes into their brains that allowed them to control a computer with just their thoughts, after mapping out how their brains were working when they did the same task using a joystick. It turned out that the monkeys quickly caught on to using their brains to control the computer, and quickly came to prefer that method exclusively, over using the joystick.

[petesampras]

That's correct.

The trouble is that the brain is hard-wired to control the body. Moving manual controls and getting feedback from you muscles and skin as you do it is how the brain expects to operate. Directly controling a plane via your thoughts is not. Not that it would be impossible, just that it could well be that the brain would operate better controling the plane in the traditional way despite the increased 'reaction' time.

Incorrect. We've done similar experiments on monkeys, which is to say, we implanted electrodes into their brains that allowed them to control a computer with just their thoughts, after mapping out how their brains were working when they did the same task using a joystick. It turned out that the monkeys quickly caught on to using their brains to control the computer, and quickly came to prefer that method exclusively, over using the joystick.

Do you have a link to infomation about this experiment? The monkeys might have prefered to use the brain controlled method out of laziness. People certainly will often choose the lazier and inferior method for achieving a task. I would be impressed if their actual performance was superior.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

The problem with the whole using the chip to increase pilot reaction time idea-- you're gonna get a LOT of crashed planes to start off with. Hence lots of simulator time, yes...

And then, what about EMP? Be kind of embarrassing if you find pilots coming back with their brains fried due to electrical pulses... of course, I've no idea how one would generate an electromagnetic pulse aside from a nuclear explosion, so I'll reserve comment on that until someone more knowledgeable can answer.

Obviously you install a surge protector on the connection and retain the normal controls as a backup function.

[Sea Skimmer]

One step closer to adware being installed directly to your brain.

[Admiral Valdemar]

One step closer to adware being installed directly to your brain.

Yes, but also virtual porn!

[Gil Hamilton]

Obviously you install a surge protector on the connection and retain the normal controls as a backup function.

I'd think such a device would be "Read Only" and be by remote. That way, there is no power going into the person's head and there is no effect should the system fail to work. A person wouldn't even have the be any more physically attached that usual and if it fails, they aren't totally screwed.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

The trouble is that the brain is hard-wired to control the body. Moving manual controls and getting feedback from you muscles and skin as you do it is how the brain expects to operate. Directly controling a plane via your thoughts is not. Not that it would be impossible, just that it could well be that the brain would operate better controling the plane in the traditional way despite the increased 'reaction' time.

Incorrect. We've done similar experiments on monkeys, which is to say, we implanted electrodes into their brains that allowed them to control a computer with just their thoughts, after mapping out how their brains were working when they did the same task using a joystick. It turned out that the monkeys quickly caught on to using their brains to control the computer, and quickly came to prefer that method exclusively, over using the joystick.

Do you have a link to infomation about this experiment? The monkeys might have prefered to use the brain controlled method out of laziness. People certainly will often choose the lazier and inferior method for achieving a task. I would be impressed if their actual performance was superior.

Linka you clicka

The story is a bit different than how I recalled it. The principle difference being that the monkeys didn't initially use joysticks in this story. The electrodes were implanted into their brains, and the monkeys learned how to adapt to the computer to better control the arm. Interestingly:

Interestingly, in the beginning, the monkey’s restrained arms would twitch – as if they were trying to reach and grab the food. But after a day with the robotic arm, the monkey was completely relaxed.

But, aha! Here is the story I remember. Which, incidentally, does describe the BrainGate trials as well.

Monkey see, monkey do

Since it can difficult to get government permission to run human clinical trial of this kind, the bulk of the research for brain/machine interfaces has been done with monkeys.

In 2003, researchers at Duke University taught rhesus monkeys to consciously control the movement of a real time robotic arm using only feedback from a video screen and their thoughts. The monkeys appeared to operate the robotic arm as if it were their own limb.

A team led by neurobiologist Miguel Nicolelis implanted a tiny array of brain-signal-detecting microelectrodes in the monkey’s brain. They trained the monkey with a joystick that moved a cursor on a screen, and, once the monkey had mastered that task, the robotic limb was added to the feedback loop. After a few days, the monkey realized the connection between moving the cursor and moving the arm.

Once that connection was established, the researchers removed the joystick. The monkey slowly figured out that it could still move the cursor and robotic arm by moving its own arm. After a few days without the joystick, the monkey realized that it could move the robotic arm without moving its own.

It had mastered a neuroprosthetic limb.

"(The monkey’s) arm muscles went completely quiet, she kept the arm at her side and she controlled the robot arm using only her brain and visual feedback," said Nicolelis. "Our analyses of the brain signals showed that the animal learned to assimilate the robot arm into her brain as if it was her own arm."

The brain circuitry had actively reorganized itself to incorporate an external device.

"Actually, we see this every day, when we use any tool, from a pencil to a car," said Nicolelis. "As we learn to use that tool, we incorporate the properties of that tool into our brain, which makes us proficient in using it."

Andrew Schwartz, a neurobiologist at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, has taken the progress made at Duke to another level. Schwartz has trained monkeys to feed themselves pieces of fruit using just their brainwaves and a robotic arm.

Unlike the experiment at Duke, where the robotic arm wasn’t in close proximity to the monkey, Schwartz has restrained the monkey’s arm and placed the robotic limb as close to the monkey as possible.

The robotic arm moves like a normal arm – it has fully mobile shoulder and elbow joints. The "hand" is a simple gripper that allows the monkey to grab its food.

"The robotic limb takes the desired hand position as input and has on-board hardware that controls the torque motors to move the limb to the desired decoded position, Moran explained. "This is really no different than sending a desired cursor position to a computer."

Schwartz has recently made improvements to the computer algorithms that will make it easier for the monkeys to learn to operate the robotic arm. The improvements will also help Schwartz and his team to develop brain devices with smoother, more responsive, and precise movements.

The point here is that the brain is an incredibly plastic organ. A fighter pilot's brain should very quickly learn, if implanted with a brain chip, to master (at least) part of the task of flying a fighter without physically doing anything.

[LordShaithis]

I want a brain-chip! But make it wireless, and give it text-messaging. Robot telepathy for the win.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I want a brain-chip! But make it wireless, and give it text-messaging. Robot telepathy for the win.

I send spam text messages for useless products. Your brain overheats. I laugh evilly.