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SCIENCEThursday 14 April 2016

Study: Brain implant lets paralyzed man regain use of hand

MALCOLM RITTER hope to improve the tech-

AP Science Writer nology by such steps as

NEW YORK (AP) — A para- making the connections

lyzed 24-year-old man has wireless, perhaps placing

regained some use of his A28 electrodes on or beneath
the scalp rather than in
SCIENCEright hTahnudr, scdoanytr1o0llMinagrcith 2016
the brain, and replacing
with signals relayed from
the strapped-on forearm
electronic sensors in his
electrodes with implanted
brain.
ones.
Ian Burkhart of Dublin,
Experts who weren’t in-
Ohio, can grasp a bottle,
volved in the project said
pour its contents into a jar,
the results hold promise.
pick up a stick and stir the
Lee Miller of Northwestern
liquid. He can grab a cred-
University, who has done
it card and swipe it through
similar research in mon-
a reader. He can move in-
keys, called the results “an
dividual fingers and hold a Mars mission that should have
launcheimdporbtanyt stenp”otowward de-
NASA salvagestoothbrush. veloping a tool for helping
But he can do these things
onlMy AfoRrCaIAfeDwUhNoNurs a week, patients. He agreed that
ihnoao(CAAkAlPaPeP)bdAEoe—urraopCNtsoApAtraNoyScAAwea’VshnWEeRnrrAieeetexLx,trhpeeMrFiias-lars. the forearm electrodes
memntisasilondeisvsitcillealtivhea.t inter- would probably have to
preIntsstehaisdbroafinscsirganpaplsingantdhe be implanted, but he said
the current approach is

stimgurolautnedsehdis mMuascrsles InwSitighht “clearly a good starting

elescptarocdeecsraoftn, hitshfeoreasprmac. e point.”
WseiatfaWhorgcerehadneinm2cres0yps1hdr8ooalvpayeeumnittche’ashenn.tnsssoy,hsuotneorcetmien- dg Chet Moritz of the Univer-
will eThveenrtoubaollyticaidlantdheer ewv-as In this March 2016 photo provided by Ohio State University, Ian Burkhart plays a guitar video game sity of Washington called
erysduapypolivseeds otfopelifotploeffliktehis as part of a study with neural bypass technology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical the findings exciting. Direct
Center in Columbus. stimulation of muscles can

Associated Press

Burmkhoanrtth,with spinal cord freshman when he broke his Battelle Memorial Institute only a little sensation in his quickly lead to fatigue, he
injubriuets,enadneddpueprhsaidpeslinoetdh-in neck about six years ago. in Columbus, Ohio. He is arm because of his injury. noted, but that might be
berrsaekDwienceyitctinhFmejrumesatrnrynboc.aekhgreienborsysrtrstuaarmaidlueematnhktae. Ptinidcroeaj-- avoided by stimulating the
He dove into an ocean now at the Feinstein Insti- He also said his muscles tire spinal cord to move the
wave and was slammed tute for Medical Research after a while. muscles instead.
in Manhasset, New York. During the first few months, P. Hunter Peckham, a pro-
If avincde swhohueldn btehereddeesvigicneed into a sand bar. As a result, When Burkhart is in the lab, he became mentally worn
cainn tibmee. used at home, he is paralyzed from the
“it Mwailyl re20a1ll8y irnecprreeasesentsmtyhe middle of his chest down, a cable is attached to a out from concentrating on fessor of biomedical en-
quanelitxyt of laifveaailandbleindelpaeunnc- h with no use of his arms be- small projection from his exactly what muscles he gineering at Case West-
ids epelwnaavciunerenadr,cyl”oyhwztswea.tdioodOyBoMpeuvpaarekorrrshsr,tamubarnator,iistsswieetedhsojouoftsont ern Reserve University in
low the elbow. skull to carry signals from needed to move, he said. Cleveland, said the work is
For the experimental treat- the sensor to a comput- Now “it’s gotten much eas- valuable in showing that a
er, which interprets what ier,” he said in an interview.
his tbhoedayli.gnment of Earth and ment, surgeons in 2014
Buriktshnaertig’shbocra. se is de- placed a tiny device on his movement he is trying to But if he faces a new task brain implant can be used
scrTibhedIniSnigahpt asppaecrereclreaaftseadims brain that includes 96 elec- accomplish. Then it sends or one he has not done for to control several muscles
WetdonsteusddyatyhebyinttheeriojrooufrnMaal rs trodes that penetrate just commands to an array a while, “I kind of have to at a time.
fNroammsbteuyonrredmseo.rseiIrletlsit’naesfgorrtchrndheteehelteeahdptaFetrtwosethintorhacepihsnpe.olrseTaerhtttisee- Peckham said many pa-
below the surface. It moni- of up to 160 electrodes think about it a little bit be- ralysis patients are already
tors a relatively small popu- strapped to his forearm. forehand, and really think doing “impressively well”
Electrical stimulation from through what I’m trying to at home with a system that
pairnalyazevdacpueuomplechoapmebraetrein lation of brain cells in the those electrodes activates accomplish.”
roboordticer atormms, eacsoumrepustuebrstle region that controls move-
mplWieTnhengidst nAotehufseghduiassaytric,2gM0thi1vat5irthcyaahrtn3i9sd,t’2ms,0sri1eall6inmo,dnNe-ArinSAgchilsspearsoih.dvaiidtn’esddshbaoyontNdinAgSfiAfno/grJaePLr2-0Cm1a8lutleas-cuhncdRthienepogzifactfthiasessthtaIeneiSdrIingaShBnitgudshrpktmahMcaoaerrrtecsrliafaslufnt.giddeeirtn-studmlyeintosgvetthhmeeeimnntAetrsssisotoirmcwoiuafitMltaheadtersPs.rieOhgsanns nadls
andgrouthnedr mdeoviecmesewntist.h sig-
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plalenatsk,iongr r.egThaein uosteheorf pmara-in generated by other mus-
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and the repair plans are of planetary scientists for scientific steppingstone for Odyssey, Mars Reconnais- Mars 2016.q