Abstract :
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.
The BrainGate Neural Interface System is currently the
subject of a pilot
clinical trial being conducted under an Investigation 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.
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