Neuroscientist Nick Ramsey from UMC Utrecht sees this as a major step forward in improving communication for paralyzed people. He believes this is an essential part of human existence, something that many people who have a neurological condition are deprived of.
Paralysis
During the study, electrodes were implanted in patients who can no longer communicate due to a condition or accident. The electrodes allowed the BCIs to analyze brain activity and translate it into sentences. “Thoughts are not converted into words, it is not mind reading. We are looking at the output station of the brain that controls the muscles. So that part still has to work,” says Ramsey.
Ramsey says that the developments are not only interesting for people with ALS, but also for people who have suffered brain damage or are partially paralyzed. The technology would help about one hundred and fifty to two hundred people in the Netherlands.
However, the new technology is not yet useful for all paralyzed people. People in the study still had some degree of muscle movement, which allowed them to still imitate their speech. Therefore, further research needs to be done into locked-in patients, people who can only communicate with eye movements.
Manageable
The form of BCIs will also be adjusted. The electrodes are currently still connected to an external computer, but an eventual wireless version would be better. “These studies are a diamond in the rough,” Ramsey concludes. “I call it a Ferrari block without a car around it. That car has yet to come.”
By: Nationale Zorggids / Marian van Reesch
2023-09-26 06:30:00
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