Brain implant breakthrough may reverse paralysis

When a person becomes paralyzed, whether by traumatic injury or as the result of a disease, there’s usually precious little hope for reversing it. Ian Burkhart became almost entirely paralyzed after an injury in 2010, and now he’s one of the first patients to show promise using a new system that combines a brain implant with signal-reading software to restore motion and, incredibly, the sense of touch.

As Syfy Wire reports, Burkhart’s progress is the subject of a new paper published in Cell, and it could change how doctors approach the difficult process of treating paralyzed patients.

Spinal cord injuries can be absolutely devastating. They can completely shut down motor function and sensory inputs in affected limbs. Researchers at the Battelle Memorial Institute developed a new type of system to tackle these tragic cases, and it begins with a brain implant. The system works by picking up on the incredibly mild signals that seem to persist between the brain and paralyzed muscles even after a traumatic injury.

Patrick Ganzer at Battelle Memorial Institute in the US and his colleagues have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) that has allowed 28-year-old Ian Burkhart to grasp and feel objects again.  Burkhart has a severe upper spinal cord injury and has cPatrick Ganzer at Battelle Memorial Institute in the US and his colleagues have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) that has allowed 28-year-old Ian Burkhart to grasp and feel objects again.  Burkhart has a severe upper spinal cord injury and has cPatrick Ganzer at Battelle Memorial Institute in the US and his colleagues have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) that has allowed 28-year-old Ian Burkhart to grasp and feel objects again.  Burkhart has a severe upper spinal cord injury and has c

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