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Brain Implant Helps Restore Movement for Paralyzed Patient, Researchers Say
Tiny device implanted in motor cortex allows man with quadriplegia to make intricate movements
By
AMY DOCKSER MARCUS
2 COMMENTS
A paralyzed man used an implant in his brain and his thoughts to move his own arm, marking an advance in a decadeslong research effort to restore movement to people with spinal-cord injuries.
Researchers from Ohio State University and Battelle Memorial Institute reported in Nature that they implanted a tiny device in Ian Burkhart’s motor cortex, the part of the brain that controls movement. Mr. Burkhart, 24, has quadriplegia as a result of a diving accident four years ago, and cannot move his arms and legs. The brain is responsible for sending signals to move the limbs, but a spinal cord injury prevents the messages from getting to parts of the body.
The device, which was implanted in 2014, acts as a “neural bypass” system, picking up the brain signals and sending them to a computer that decodes them. In each trial, Mr. Burkhart sits in front of a computer that shows a virtual hand demonstrating the movement. He must then imagine making the movement. The brain signals are transmitted and decoded, and then electrical stimulation is delivered to the muscles using a sleeve embedded with electrodes that wraps around his arm.
In the experiment, Mr. Burkhart was able to perform a set of routine tasks that involve very complex hand and finger movements, including grasping a bottle, pouring its contents into a jar, and picking up a stick and stirring the contents.
“The uniqueness is, for the first time, we link brain signals in a high-fidelity and reproducible fashion within milliseconds to an individual who can move his own hands,” said Chad E. Bouton, one of the authors of the article and vice president of advanced engineering and technology at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y., who was previously at Battelle.
The case comes at a time when the field of so-called “brain-computer interfaces” is receiving an infusion of federal money and a push to create applications that aren’t just interesting research projects but could eventually have practical applications for patients.
Last year, researchers led by a team at the University of California, Los Angeles published a study showing five men with paralysis making step-like movements through electrical stimulation to the spinal cord. BrainGate, a multi-institutional project developing and testing its own neural-implant system, has shown patients able to control a keyboard and move a robotic arm.
Ali Rezai, director of Ohio State’s Center for Neuromodulation and one of the paper’s authors, said the system right now can be used only in the lab. Mr. Burkhart has a transmitter on his head that has to be plugged in to work. Brain signals change depending on everything from the temperature in the room to what someone is focusing on, and the algorithm that decodes those signals has to adjust in real time. The ability of the electrodes to transmit clear signals can erode over time; Mr. Burkhart may eventually need the device removed.
“The goal is to eventually get this out of the lab and make it available beyond one or two research subjects,” Dr. Rezai said.
Developing so-called brain-computer interfaces involves more than scientific challenges. Mr. Bouton said researchers think not only about how to restore movement, but how to make it natural. Everyday actions, such as shaking someone’s hand, is actually a complex process, he says. Scientists are trying to find ways to give patients sensory feedback, too.
“Touch is so important for this technology,” he said. “When you shake hands, you want to feel the hand and adjust your grip.”
For now, one of the major obstacles is the small market size. Spinal-cord injuries affect approximately 150,000 people in the U.S., and not all of them are eligible to use such a device, said Peter Konrad, professor of neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University and vice president of the North American Neuromodulation Society. Researchers are also studying the use of such devices in people with other conditions, including stroke and ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, although it isn’t clear yet whether extracting brain signals from such patients might differ.
Dr. Konrad said new technology may need innovative funding methods. The project in the Nature paper was funded primarily by the university, Battelle and private philanthropists. It has been challenging to find successful business models to commercialize brain-computer technology, even when experiments demonstrate the difference restoring function can make in people’s lives.
“How much does it mean for Ian Burkhart to be able to move his hand?” Dr. Konrad asked.
Mr. Burkhart lives with his father and stepmother outside of Columbus, Ohio, studies business management in college and helps coach the high-school lacrosse team for which he used to play. He says the contrast between what he did in the lab during the three-times-a-week training sessions and what he does at home is sharp.
“I would like to be able to do things on my own instead of asking for help or waiting for someone else to help me with it,” he said. “The things I do in the lab, I would love to have in everyday life.”
Write to Amy Dockser Marcus at amy.marcus@wsj.com
