Revolutionary paralysis treatment - WiFi
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Have you ever imagined that Wifi can be used in paralysis treatment? In few decades we might be able to move our legs and arms with using WiFi. It could have been just a dream until the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology restored the ability of a Rhesus monkey to walk.
The installed implant in the brain of the monkey restored its movement ability. It`s the first time in history when a paralyzed part of the body started motion with using a wifi adapter. Experts informs that this technology is ready for testing on humans and we may have wifi as the paralysis best treatment in a decade.
Spinal cord injuries prevent electrical signals from reaching the brain. Therefore, with no brain commands – a part of a body rests in paralysis. This kind of wound can be not always healed, and one of the paralysis cure solutions is bypassing with new technologies. In the study conducted by a Swiss scientist, a chip was installed into the monkey’s brain part which is responsible for movement.
The main purpose of the cheap was to transmit signals from the brain to the nearby computer. The computer worked as a chain between the monkey`s brain and leg. The implant installed in a leg of the monkey received signals, and the leg started its movements. The results of the experiment were published in the journal Nature. It showed that an animal with the paralysis diagnosis managed to gain control over its paralysis in legs.
According to the words of Dr. Gregorie Courtine, it was the first time in the history when a wifi adapter was used in paralysis treatment of primates. Nevertheless, the movements of the monkey were close to the natural, but it`s obvious that it`s not the same as having direct commands from the brain.
The technology used in to stimulate spinal cord in the monkey has similarities with the deep brain stimulation used today for treating Parkinson`s disease. It means that there is no technological drawback in using the same technology for the test in patients.
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Scientists are not quite sure about initial implementation of the technology. Humans are more sophisticated animals than apes. They move differently from monkeys, and it creates problems in inventing more sophisticated ways for stimulation the person`s muscles.
The link between brain, decoding, and spinal cord is entirely new. Doctors can imagine in the first time that paralysis of one limb or the whole body can be completely curable. The fields of paralysis treatment are enormous and used previously.
A brain implant helped a completely paralyzed man to play guitar
Ian Burkhart managed to regain his ability to his fingers with the computer chip installed in his brain. Ian Burkhart is 24 now, but six years ago he dived too deep into the ocean and broke his back.
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Ohio University studied his brain activity and asked him to imagine the moving actions on a video. They scanned his brain while he imagined the movements on the video. After few years of study, they Implanted a chip into his motor cortex area. This part of the brain is responsible for moving actions.
The installed chip detects a signal from the brains of Burkhart and sends the information through the cable connected to a computer. If he imagines his arm moving, then the electric signals from his brain go to chip, the chip transfer them via the cable to the computer.
The computer analysis data and sends the data to an electrode sleeve on the Burkhart`s arm. This sleeve is connected to the arm muscles and through the electric stimulation forces the fingers to move. Ian can perform different types of actions through this technique, like picking up small objects, middle flexion and extension, thumb flexion and hand opening. It`s more than enough to play his favorite game – Guitar Hero.
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University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA helped four men to stand on their feet with electric shocks. They showed their pioneering technique, which was published in the UK`s magazine “The Brain.” The scientist showed that four men regained partial control over their paralyzed legs after installation of an electric devices into their backs.
The core element of the device is the spinal cord. The spinal cord acts as our body`s messaging system. If our spinal cord is damaged, our muscles might no longer take signals from the brain. The implant creates electrical pulses that help to stimulate the spinal column. It means that our brain can have a new channel to sends commands to the body.
The technology was firstly used with a college baseball star Rob Summers. Due to a car accident in 2006, the young superstar was paralyzed from the neck down. In 2009, Summers underwent the implant installing procedure. Few days after the operation – he was able to stand and walk on a trade mill.
Researches from the University of Louisville repeated the same procedure with three other volunteers a few years later. The volunteers showed the same results as Summers; they were able to move their legs and stand briefly. The technology is not perfect, but it shows some fantastic results in paralysis treatment.
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The technology employed to help people with paralysis was developed with the assistance of international team, like Harvard Medical School, the Providence VA Medical Center in Rhode Island and Brown University. They proved that a robotic arm could be controlled with the power of the mind.
One of the participants that have a paralysis of the body managed to perform various activities with using a robot arm. The brain implants installed into the patients transmit the information from the brain to a computer through the wire. The computer analysis the data and transfer the commands to the robotic arm.
Even now this arm can perform tasks like holding and delivering a cup of coffee. The technologies like that were used for the past few years, but the individuals who participated in the test groups were only partly paralyzed.
What is magical about new technologies is that it proves that signals from a brain will continue to generate from brains no matter how long a limb has been paralyzed. One of the testers managed to control the robotic arm, despite the fact that his body has been paralyzed for fifteen years!
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The work of Swiss scientists with a monkey provides new opportunities in treating paralysis. It shows a clear future where the matter of regaining of lost functions of limbs are not miracles. Implantable devices installed into the brain can be one of the ways of achieving a paralysis cure.
The current demonstration of Swiss scientists shows that humanity moves into the right direction. Some scientists suppose that humankind can witness the incorporation between spinal cord and computers by the end of the decade.
The experiment with the rhesus monkey showed that it`s entirely possible to restore the control over one paralyzed limb. Nevertheless, treating of paralysis waist down of human can be quite a challenge! The locomotion of both legs requires quite a balance between them. Moreover, our legs have to adapt to the moving obstacles and changing surface.
Paralysis treatment option
The Swiss scientists showed one of the possible ways for regaining the control over injured and paralyzed limb. Their technology still needs some improvement, but people can see the results right now.
WATCH VIDEO...
Other approaches to treating paralysis include nasal cavity cells transplanting to the spinal cord. It`s a biological way to repair the injury. The method worked with Darek Fidyke, who was paralyzed from a knife attack in 2010. Therefore, humanity has multiple ways in achieving the paralysis cure.
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