Exciting developments in the field of brain implants have been revealed in new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine. These studies showcase the progress made in developing brain implants that enable patients with lateral amyotrophic sclerosis (BAS) to restore their ability to communicate. The findings from two independent studies, each involving a patient with BAS, demonstrate the effectiveness of neurocomputer interfaces in enabling speech restoration for paralyzed patients.
One study focused on a 45-year-old man suffering from lateral amyotrophic sclerosis, also known as Lud Gerig’s disease. As a result of the disease, the man had lost the ability to speak, with only his nurse able to understand him at a sluggish rate of about seven words per minute, far below the average speech speed of around 160 words per minute. In the experiment, four microelectric arrays developed by BlackRock Neurotech were implanted into the patient’s brain, utilizing 256 electrodes to record neural activity in brain regions associated with speech.
The software was able to quickly decode signals and learn new words, allowing the patient to communicate using a dictionary of 125 thousand words by the second day of using the system. Decoded words were displayed on a screen and spoken by the program, mimicking the patient’s voice prior to developing BAS. The patient expressed immense joy at being able to communicate with loved ones again, noting that even his daughter, who did not remember his voice before his illness, was proud of her “robot” father.
The second study centered on a woman who received a neuroprosthesis from Medtronic at the age of 58, allowing her to communicate through clicks for six years. However, the progressive brain atrophy caused by BAS eventually rendered the interface ineffective. Dr. Edward Chang, a neurosurgeon from the University of California at San Francisco, who was not involved in the studies, praised the results as compelling evidence that brain-computer interfaces could be a viable clinical option for restoring communication in paralyzed individuals.
While the studies show promise, Dr. Chang suggests that further research may need to explore new brain areas for interaction that are less prone to degeneration during the progression of the disease. The advancements in brain implants offer hope for restoring vital communication abilities in patients with BAS, signaling a significant breakthrough in the field of neurotechnology.