WEB FOCUS
Brain-machine interfaces
In this focus
Brain-machine interfaces promise to aid paralyzed patients by re-routing movement-related signals around damaged parts of the nervous system. A new study in Nature demonstrates a human with spinal injury manipulating a screen cursor and robotic devices by thought alone. Implanted electrodes in his motor cortex recorded neural activity, and translated it into movement commands. A second study, in monkeys, shows that brain-machine interfaces can operate at high speed, greatly increasing their clinical potential. This Nature Web Focus includes exclusive interviews and video footage of experiments, alongside papers that paved the way for these recent advances.
Current Research
EDITORIAL
Is this the bionic man? Free access
Nature 442, 164-171 (13 July 2006) doi:10.1038/442109a
NEWS FEATURE
Neuroprosthetics: In search of the sixth sense
Alison Abbott
Nature 442, 164-171 (13 July 2006) doi:10.1038/442125a
NEWS AND VIEWS
Neuroscience: Converting thoughts into action
Stephen H. Scott
Nature 442, 164-171 (13 July 2006) doi:10.1038/442141a
ARTICLE
Neuronal ensemble control of prosthetic devices by a human with tetraplegia
Leigh R. Hochberg et al.
Nature 442, 164-171 (13 July 2006) doi:10.1038/nature04970
Abstract | Full Text | PDF | Supplementary Information
LETTER
A high-performance brain-computer interface
Gopal Santhanam et al.
Nature 442, 195-198 (13 July 2006) doi:10.1038/nature04968
Abstract | Full Text | PDF | Supplementary Information
Top of page
Video streaming
Watch the scientists behind this research describe their work in their own words with our special video streaming.
Top of pageExperimental footage
Footage of the experiments shows the scientists and the subject in action.
Top of pageLinks
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke — Neural Prosthesis Program
- DARPA Human-Assisted Neural Devices (HAND) program
- Berlin Brain-Computer Interface
- Laboratory of Computational Engineering
- Wikipedia on Brain-Computer interfaces
- The EPFL Brain-Computer Interface
- Nature Neuroscience
- Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Archive
OPINION
Brain�machine interfaces to restore motor function and probe neural circuits
Miguel A. L. Nicolelis
Nature Reviews Neuroscience 4, 417-422 (2003) doi:10.1038/nrn1105
REVIEW
Connecting cortex to machines: recent advances in brain interfaces
John P. Donoghue
Nature Neuroscience 5, 1085-1088 (2002) doi:10.1038/nn947
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
Brain-machine interface: Instant neural control of a movement signal
Mijail D. Serruya et al.
Nature 416, 141-142 (14 March 2002) doi:10.1038/416141a
Abstract | Full Text | PDF | Supplementary Information
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
Motor-cortical activity in tetraplegics
Shy Shoham et al.
Nature 413, 793 (25 October 2001) doi:10.1038/35101651
INSIGHT
Actions from thoughts
Miguel A. L. Nicolelis
Nature 409, 403-407 (18 January 2001) doi:10.1038/35053191
LETTERS TO NATURE
Real-time prediction of hand trajectory by ensembles of cortical neurons in primates
Johan Wessberg et al.
Nature 408, 361-365 (16 November 2000) doi:10.1038/35042582
Abstract | Full Text | PDF | Supplementary Information
NEWS AND VIEWS
Real-time control of a robotic arm by neuronal ensembles
Eberhard E. Fetz
Nature Neuroscience 2, 583-584 (1999) doi:10.1038/35037606
ARTICLE
Real-time control of a robot arm using simultaneously recorded neurons in the motor cortex
John K. Chapin et al.
Nature Neuroscience 2, 664-670 (1999) doi:10.1038/10223
SCIENTIFIC CORRESPONDENCE
A spelling device for the paralysed
N. Birbaumer et al.
Nature 398, 297-298 (25 March 1999) doi:10.1038/18581
News
NEWS FEATURE
Neuroscience: Deep in thought
Alison Abbott
Published online: 6 July 2005; doi:10.1038/436018a
NEWS
Computer users move themselves with the mind
Michael Hopkin
Published online: 27 September 2005; doi:10.1038/news050926-5
NEWS
Paralysed man sends e-mail by thought
Roxanne Khamsi
Published online: 13 October 2004; doi:10.1038/news041011-9
NEWS
Mental ping-pong could aid paraplegics
Mark Peplow
Published online: 27 August 2004; doi:10.1038/news040823-18
NEWS
Monkeys master 'mind control'
Helen Pilcher
Published online: 09 July 2004; doi:10.1038/news040705-7
NEWS
Pilot study may give quadriplegics computer control
Helen R. Pilcher
Published online: 10 November 2003; doi:10.1038/news031110-3
Decoding neural representations of movement
LETTER
Neural correlates of mental rehearsal in dorsal premotor cortex
Paul Cisek and John F. Kalaska
Nature 431, 993-996 (21 October 2004) doi:10.1038/nature03005
Abstract | Full Text | PDF | Supplementary Information
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
Inference of hand movements from local field potentials in monkey motor cortex
Carsten Mehring et al.
Nature Neuroscience 6, 1253-1254 (1 Dec 2003) doi:10.1038/nn1158
ARTICLE
Temporal structure in neuronal activity during working memory in macaque parietal cortex
Bijan Pesaran et al.
Nature Neuroscience 5, 805-811 (1 Aug 2002) doi:10.1038/nn890
Abstract | Full Text | PDF | upplementary information
ARTICLE
Direction of action is represented in the ventral premotor cortex
Shinji Kakei, Donna S. Hoffman, Peter L. Strick
Nature Neuroscience 4, 1020-1025 (1 Oct 2001) doi:10.1038/nn726
LETTERS TO NATURE
Dissociation between hand motion and population vectors from neural activity in motor cortex
Stephen H. Scott et al.
Nature 413, 161-165 (13 September 2001) doi:10.1038/35093102
Abstract | Full Text | PDF | Supplementary Information
ARTICLE
Direct cortical control of muscle activation in voluntary arm movements: a model
Emanuel Todorov
Nature Neuroscience 3, 391-398 (1 Apr 2000) doi:10.1038/nn0400_391
LETTER
Coding of intention in the posterior parietal cortex 167
L. H. Snyder, A. P. Batista & R. A. Andersen
Nature 386, 167-170 (13 March 1997) doi:10.1038/386167a0