The technology is developed at the Brown University

Jun 10, 2009 13:33 GMT  ·  By

According to researchers at the Brown University, the new BrainGate system has entered its second large clinical test trial, which will further elaborate the positive results the system has obtained thus far. The BG system is made up of a small microchip, which is implanted in the brains of patients suffering from disabilities such as multiple sclerosis or other forms of paralysis, as well as from adjacent electronics and sensors, which help convert the electrical impulses in neurons into signals that control computers, wheelchairs, cursors, and so on.

“We are working to develop and test new technologies that we hope will help patients with devastating illnesses that limit their ability to move or to speak. The goal of our research is to harness the brain signals that ordinarily accompany movement and to translate those signals into actions on a computer, like moving a cursor on the screen, or the movement of a robotic or prosthetic limb,” BU Associate Professor of Engineering Dr. Leigh Hochberg, who is also a vascular and critical care neurologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), explains.

“We are entering a new age of neurotechnology. Our fundamental understanding of the nervous system, combined with advances in engineering, may help people with brain and spinal cord injuries and diseases,” the BU Henry Merritt Wriston Professor of Neuroscience John Donoghue, who is also the director of the Brown Institute for Brain Science, adds. Most of the work that materialized into the BrainGate system was done in his laboratory at the university.

The main goal of these computer-controlled interfaces is to allow people who are otherwise incapacitated to interact with and control some of the things around them by simply thinking of doing it. For instance, if someone wants to move their wheelchair back and forth, the relevant brain area would send a signal to the hands, regardless of the fact that the hands cannot move. The signal would then be captured, enhanced, decoded by a software, and translated into predefined actions, moving the wheelchair forward or backwards.

“Through ongoing development and testing, it is hoped that these technologies will eventually help to improve the communication, mobility and independence of people with severe paralysis,” Hochberg concludes.