Brain-Computer Implants: The Future of Tech

Tamima Rashid

Recently, a paralyzed German man, with no control over his muscles, was able to communicate with his family using only his thoughts. Researchers and neuroscientists were able to conjure a miracle for his family through brain implants.

This 36-year-old man was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that kills off motor neurons. Motor neurons carry messages from the brain to the muscles, allowing one to move. This causes the affected person to lose the ability to eat, sleep and breathe on their own. However, they can still see, hear and smell, which is how researchers have been able to innovate this new technology.

Previously, in 2016, a paralyzed woman was able to type out communication through a brain implant that detected when she wished to move her hand. However, she still had the ability to move her eyes and mouth, which gave her an advantage over this man.

In 2017, scientists implanted two microelectrode arrays 3.2 millimetres wide into his primary motor cortex. This technology has been dubbed Brain-Computer Implants or BCI. The primary motor cortex is the part of the brain that controls planning and making voluntary movements. The patient consented via his eye movements, a form of communication patients with ALS often use before they lose total control, as this patient unfortunately experienced.

After his procedure, the researchers attempted to ask the man to move his hands, arms and legs. The theory behind this question was to observe the man’s neural signals and use the information to develop a method of communication similar to the woman in 2016. However, these trials were unsuccessful. After many failed attempts, the retired neuroscientist Niels Birbaumer gave the researchers the advice to try a new technique.

This strategy is called auditory neurofeedback. As a result of the microchip implanted in the man’s brain, there were separate audio tones made by his neurons’ activity. In this approach, the patient is tasked with matching the tones of his brain activity with a sound wave played by the researchers. This mind-bending strategy teaches patients to manipulate their brain activity.

With the immense aid of the researchers, the man was trained to be able to alter the frequency of a sound wave using a computer program. With this knowledge, he was able to spell out words and phrases in a spelling program. With months and months of practice, he slowly developed the skill. At the speed of one character per minute, he was able to communicate.

“If you have a choice of no communication, and a communication of one character per minute, the choice is very obvious,” Dr. Chaudhary, a biomedical engineer and the leader of this research said.

With this innovative technology, the man flourished. After a few months of practice, he was able to spell out, “I love my cool son.”

However, this experiment was not without controversy. The retired neuroscientist who assisted in this research, Dr. Birbaumer, was accused of scientific misconduct on a similar project three years ago. He conducted experiments and wrote a now-retracted paper showing that a fully-paralyzed person could communicate with BCI. The German Research Foundation found that Dr. Birbaumer’s team had written false statements, kept incomplete analyses and omitted parts of their recordings.

As expected, this study has been met with scepticism. In the coming months, the German Research Foundation will investigate the event to reassure the public that this research is credible. “We have rigorous policies to safeguard the integrity of the research we publish, including to ensure that research has been conducted to a high ethical standard and is reported transparently,” a representative of Nature Communications writes.

Finally, we can be hopeful that this invention can aid more patients to be able to cherish their time with their families and communicate even in odd circumstances.

References:

Geddes, Linda. "'Emotional Moment': Locked-In Patient Communicates with Family via Implant." The Guardian, 22 Mar. 2022, www.theguardian.com/science/2022/mar/22/emotional-moment-locked-in-patient-communicates-with-family-via-implant. Accessed 31 Mar. 2022.

Mesa, Natalie. "Brain Implant Allows Completely Paralyzed Patient to Communicate." The Scientist, 24 Mar. 2022, www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/brain-implant-allows-completely-paralyzed-patient-to-communicate-69835. Accessed 31 Mar. 2022.

Osborne, Margaret. "Brain Implants Allow Paralyzed Man to Communicate Using His Thoughts." Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Mar. 2022, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brain-implants-allow-paralyzed-man-to-communicate-180979817/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2022.

Shih, Jerry, et al. "Brain-Computer Interfaces in Medicine." Pubmed Central, Mar. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3497935/#:~:text=A%20brain%2Dcomputer%20interface%20. Accessed 31 Mar. 2022.

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