Editor's Summary
13 July 2006
Turning thoughts into actions
The cover shows Matt Nagle, first participant in the BrainGate pilot clinical trial. He is unable to move his arms or legs following cervical spinal cord injury. Researchers at the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University, working with biotech company Cyberkinetics and 3 other institutions, demonstrate that movement-related signals can be relayed from the brain via an implanted BrainGate chip, allowing the patient to drive a computer screen cursor and activate simple robotic devices. Such neuromotor prostheses could pave the way towards systems to replace or restore lost motor function in paralysed humans. Prior to this advance, this type of work has been performed chiefly in monkeys. The latest example of such research has achieved a large increase in speed over current devices, enhancing the prospects for clinically viable brain-machine interfaces.
News Feature: Neuroprosthetics: In search of the sixth sense
Implants in the brain could one day help paralysed people move robotic arms and legs. But first, scientists need to work out how our brains know where our limbs are, says Alison Abbott.
doi:10.1038/442125a
News and Views: Neuroscience: Converting thoughts into action
There is a clear need to help people who have brain or spinal-cord damage to communicate and interact with the outside world. Progress to that end is being made with brain-implantation technology.
doi:10.1038/442141a
Article: Neuronal ensemble control of prosthetic devices by a human with tetraplegia
doi:10.1038/nature04970
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (648K) | Supplementary information
Letter: A high-performance brain–computer interface
doi:10.1038/nature04968
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (329K) | Supplementary information