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Nature 416, 141-142 (14 March 2002) | doi:10.1038/416141a

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Brain-machine interface: Instant neural control of a movement signal

Mijail D. Serruya1, Nicholas G. Hatsopoulos1,2, Liam Paninski1,2, Matthew R. Fellows1 & John P. Donoghue1

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Hands-free operation of a cursor can be achieved by a few neurons in the motor cortex.

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The activity of motor cortex (MI) neurons conveys movement intent sufficiently well to be used as a control signal to operate artificial devices1, 2, 3, but until now this has called for extensive training or has been confined to a limited movement repertoire2, 3. Here we show how activity from a few (7–30) MI neurons can be decoded into a signal that a monkey is able to use immediately to move a computer cursor to any new position in its workspace (14° times 14° visual angle). Our results, which are based on recordings made by an electrode array that is suitable for human use4, 5, indicate that neurally based control of movement may eventually be feasible in paralysed humans.