Synthetic neural bypass returns muscle control to paralyzed hands

IEEE Spectrum : Ian Burkhart broke his neck in 2010, which resulted in his becoming paralyzed from the fifth cervical vertebrae down. That meant he was only able to move his head, neck, and upper arms. Now, Chad Bouton of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York City and his colleagues have developed a neural implant that connects to an electronic sleeve on Burkhart’s forearm and restores his control over one of his hands. The implant is an array of 96 electrodes that monitors electrical activity in the brain’s motor cortex at a rate of 30 000 times per second. Burkhart had to train multiple times per week for 15 weeks so that the system could learn which signals corresponded with certain intended motions. Once the neuro-electrical signals were mapped to movements, the implant sent electrical pulses to the sleeve on Burkhart’s forearm. The sleeve contained 130 noninvasive electrodes that stimulated the muscles necessary to move the fingers, hand, and wrist. When outfitted with the system, Burkhart was able to perform actions such as swiping a credit card and using the game controller to play Guitar Hero. Currently the system requires running a cable from the implant to the sleeve, but the researchers hope to be able to create a wireless communication system.