Rhesus monkeyFLICKR, SHANKAR S.Researchers have used two rhesus monkeys in an intriguing proof-of-principle experiment testing the ability to control a paralyzed body or limb. They used a machine to covert the brain activity of one monkey, called the master, into electrical impulses applied to the spinal cord of a sedated animal, called an avatar, which moved in response to the stimulation.
The results, published this week (February 17) in Nature Communications, could provide insight for how thoughts might be translated into movement of paralyzed patients.
“This work in primates shows how this disconnection between brain and controlled movement could be overcome using brain machine interfaces that have the ability to identify the user’s intention or desire to perform a specific movement and, once identified, how this intended action can be translated through neural stimulation into the muscle activations that achieve the final goal of the movement,” biomedical engineer Bernard Conway of the University of Strathclyde said in a statement. “The work is a key step forward that demonstrates the potential of brain machine interfaces to be used in restoring purposeful movement to people affected by paralysis.”
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