This new brain implant has the potential to restore paralysed limbs

73.33% credibility
 
Related

Scientists have discovered that you can eat as much chocolate as you want

Health
964 points

Intelligent people are more easily distracted at work, study claims

Health
680 points



Most recent

EXHIBICIONISTAS DE HECATOMBES

Octavio Cruz Gonzalez
10 points

INTIMIDACIONES AL PERIODISMO REGIONAL Y LA LIBERTAD DE PRENSA. "NO DISPAREN, SOY PERIODISTA".

Pablo Emilio Obando Acosta
32 points

El impacto psicológico del voluntariado: Más allá del lugar de trabajo.

Familia sana
26 points

Grupo Covisian presenta la herramienta CX Gaia en el sector bancario colombiano

Tecnologia
38 points

La gestión de riesgos obstaculiza la innovación, según un informe de Pure Storage

Patricia Amaya Comunicaciones
10 points

Estrategias para promover el trabajo en conjunto

Actualidad
14 points

Hackers exponen secretos íntimos de ejecutivos de empresas y amenazan con destruir reputaciones

Prensa
16 points

Andrea González-Villablanca y su conmovedor relato en el XIV Aniversario de Mujer MRKH

Periodistas Lideres
20 points

¡El elemento que faltaba! Un producto que debe tener tu botiquín para accidentes en casa

Prensa
12 points

LOS DESACIERTOS Y DESPROPÓSITOS DE PASTO SALUD E. S. E

Pablo Emilio Obando Acosta
28 points
SHARE
TWEET
Researchers have just been granted US$16 million in funding to go towards the development of brain implants that could one day help paralysed limbs come back to life.

This new brain implant has the potential to restore paralysed limbs

These "bidirectional brain-computer interfaces" handle the crucial links between the brain and the spinal cord, bridging gaps caused by injury or a stroke. The miniature implants would be designed with the capability to detect the brain's intention to do something and then transfer that intention to the appropriate part of the body - a complex procedure that the able-bodied often take for granted.

"When Christopher Reeve sustained a spinal cord injury due to a fall from his horse, his brain circuits were still intact and able to form the intention to move, but unfortunately the injury prevented that intention from being conveyed to the spinal cord," said Rajesh Rao, director of the Centre for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE) at the University of Washington.

"Our implantable devices aim to bridge such lost connections by decoding brain signals and stimulating the appropriate part of the spinal cord to enable the person to move again."

The new round of funding comes from the US National Science Foundation and will be spread over four years. The team at CSNE says it wants to have proof-of-concept demonstrations in humans in the next five years, with approved devices following after that. There's hope that the system could be used to help the nervous system actually repair and rewire itself by working around damaged regions.

"There's a huge unmet need, especially with an ageing population of baby boomers, for developing the next generation of medical devices for helping people with progressive or traumatic neurological conditions such as stroke and spinal cord injury," says Rao.

While electrical brain implants are becoming more and more common in the treatment of diseases such as Parkinson's, the constant bombardment of pulses - even when a person is resting - can lead to unwanted side effects and of course drain the device's battery very quickly. The CSNE researchers are working on the next generation of so-called closed loop implants, which apply targeted electrical stimulation only when needed.

The team plans to use some of the funding they've received to research the ethics of these brain implants, which have the potential to fundamentally change a person's brain, and perhaps even their identity. If human trials are successful and the technology is approved for the wider market, we're going to have to be ready for any psychological effects that could come with the physical benefits.

Fuente: www.sciencealert.com
SHARE
TWEET
To comment you must log in with your account or sign up!
Featured content