Brain implant helps paralyzed patients control devices

A “neurotechnology” system conceived at Brown University and now being tested by a spinoff company in Foxboro has been shown in initial clinical trials to enable two quadriplegics to control movements with their thoughts alone, simply by reading their brain signals.
The pilot clinical trial findings are featured on the cover of the latest issue of the journal Nature as a major advance in neuroscience.
The device, called BrainGate, was created by Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems Inc. based on research in the laboratory of neuroscientist John Donoghue, director of Brown’s Brain Science Program and chief scientific officer at Cyberkinetics.
The company has a licensing agreement with the Brown University Research Foundation.
BrainGate consists of a surgically implanted sensor that records brain cells’ activity and decodes those signals in real time to control an external device – a prosthetic hand or limb, a computer, a remote control, a wheelchair.
The long-term goal of the research is to pair BrainGate with a muscle stimulator system and allow people with paralysis to move their limbs again.