BrainGate
is a brain implant system developed by the bio-tech company Cyberkinetics in
2003 in conjunction with the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University.
The device was designed to help those who have lost control of their limbs, or
other bodily functions, such as patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS) or spinal cord injury. The computer chip, which is implanted into the brain
, monitors brain activity in the patient and converts the intention of the user
into computer commands. Cyberkinetics describes that "such applications
may include novel communications interfaces for motor impaired patients, as
well as the monitoring and treatment of certain diseases which manifest
themselves in patterns of brain activity, such as epilepsy and
depression." Currently the chip uses 100 hair-thin electrodes that sense
the electro-magnetic signature of neurons firing in specific areas of the
brain, for example, the area that controls arm movement. The activities are
translated into electrically charged signals and are then sent and decoded
using a program, which can move either a robotic arm or a computer cursor.
According to the Cyberkinetics' website, three patients have been implanted
with the BrainGate system. The company has confirmed that one patient ( Matt
Nagle ) has a spinal cord injury, while another has advanced ALS.
Brain Gate Neural Interface System
The Brain Gate Neural Interface System is currently the subject of
a pilot clinical trial being conducted under an Investigational Device
Exemption (IDE) from the FDA. The system is designed to restore functionality
for a limited, immobile group of severely motor-impaired individuals. It is
expected that people using the BrainGate System will employ a personal computer
as the gateway to a range of self-directed activities. These activities may
extend beyond typical computer functions (e.g., communication) to include the
control of objects in the environment such as a telephone, a television and
lights. The BrainGate System is based on Cyberkinetics' platform technology to
sense, transmit, analyze and apply the language of neurons. The System consists
of a sensor that is implanted on the motor cortex of the brain and a device
that analyzes brain signals. The principle of operation behind the BrainGate
System is that with intact brain function, brain signals are generated even
though they are not sent to the arms, hands and legs. The signals are
interpreted and translated into cursor movements, offering the user an
alternate "BrainGate pathway" to control a computer with thought,
just as individuals who have the ability to move their hands use a mouse.
IBM, in partnership with scientists at Switzerland's Ecole
Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne's (EPFL) Brain and Mind Institute will begin
simulating the brain's biological systems and output the data as a working
3-dimensional model that will recreate the high-speed electro-chemical interactions
that take place within the brain's interior. These include cognitive functions
such as language, learning, perception and memory in addition to brain
malfunction such as psychiatric disorders like depression and autism. From
there, the modeling will expand to other regions of the brain and, if
successful, shed light on the relationships between genetic, molecular and
cognitive functions of the brain
The braingate pilot device consists of a Sensor of the size of a
contact lens, a cable and pedestal, which connects the chip to the computer, a
cart which consists the signal processing unit .
The BrainGate Neural Interface Device is a
proprietary brain-computer interface that consists of an internal neural signal
sensor and external processors that convert neural signals into an output
signal under the users own control. The sensor consists of a tiny chip smaller
than a baby aspirin, with one hundred electrode sensors each thinner than a
hair that detect brain cell electrical activity.
The chip is implanted on the surface of the brain in the motor
cortex area that controls movement. In the pilot version of the device, a cable
connects the sensor to an external signal processor in a cart that contains
computers. The computers translate brain activity and create the communication
output using custom decoding software. Importantly, the entire BrainGate system
was specifically designed for clinical use in humans and thus, its manufacture,
assembly and testing are intended to meet human safety requirements. Five
quadriplegics patients in all are enrolled in the pilot study, which was
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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