Monkeys are able to efficiently control a wheelchair using only the mind, researchers say.
More than entertaining, the new study could pave the way for a renewed hope among people plagued with paralysis.
Wheelchairs And Mind Control
People with mobility problems, including those with partial or complete paralysis, rely on wheelchairs to transfer from one place to another. With this, scientists have been developing brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) to enhance such assistive devices and enable brain control to lead the navigation.
BMIs are said to allow the brain to dictate artificial limbs and improve mobility among primates. Aside from that, about 70 percent of paralyzed individuals are amenable to undergo surgical implantation of electrodes in their brains to have control over such devices. However, studies about the effects of BMIs to wheelchair control are very limited.
In the new study, researchers from Duke University attempted to explore more about BMIs through monkeys.
Monkey Moves
Scientists implanted electrodes that enabled wireless recordings from a group of neurons that are associated with signals before and during movements.
The monkeys were then trained to move the wheelchairs towards a bowl of grapes, which serves as a reward. While at it, the scientists recorded the brain activity of the monkeys and programmed a BMI device to interpret the incoming brain signals into motor directives that controlled how the wheelchair moves.
The next step was to allow the monkeys to move around freely while on the wheelchair. Through the electrodes, the BMI received brain signals that would order the wheelchair to move toward the goal.
Analysis of brain signals exhibit that the they were actually thinking seriously about reaching for the bowl of grapes, and about the wheelchair's distance from it. The authors discovered that the monkeys enhanced their ability to maneuver the wheelchair toward where the bowl of grapes is. The subjects projected more efficiency.
Study author Miguel Nicolelis says that the signal, which was not noted at the onset of the experiments, shows how the brain can adapt to a foreign modern device.
The wheelchair was absorbed by the monkey's brain that it has started to become part of the monkey's body already.
Hope For Paralytics
The study is part of the Nicolelis' "Walk Again Project," which aims to create technologies that can read brain signals of paralyzed patients and turn them into information that can control assistive devices and artificial limbs.
The system may significantly help paralytics move around the house and control various devices as necessary.
In the end, the authors conclude that the results of their study support observations that BMI training could make paralyzed patients move through robotic exoskeletons. The study also manifests that BMIs may help patients partially recover as continuous use may pave the way for widespread brain adaptability.
"BMIs will likely have a profound clinical impact in the future," the authors wrote.
The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports on Thursday, Mar. 3.
