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A 26 - year - old man who was paralyze in both legs has find the power to walk using a system controlled by his brain wave , along with a harness to help support his body weight unit , a newfangled study says .
In ordering to take the air , the patient wore a jacket crown with electrodes that notice his encephalon signals . These electrical signals — the same as those a doctor looks at when running anelectroencephalogram ( EEG)test — were sent to a data processor , which " decoded " the mental capacity waves . It then used them to post instructions to another equipment that stimulated the nerves in the man ’s legs , causing the muscular tissue to move .
A man who was paralyzed in both legs for five years was able to use a brain-controlled system to walk again, along with a harness to help support his body weight.
Using this system , the patient role , who had been paralyzed for five years after a spinal cord wound , was capable to walk about 12 feet ( 3.66 meters ) . He used a baby-walker and hold out a harness to leave some organic structure - weight accompaniment and forbid him from falling .
" Even after years of paralysis , the brain can still give rich brain waves that can be rule to enable canonic walking , " field of study carbon monoxide - writer Dr. An Do , an assistant prof of clinical neurology at the University of California , Irvine , said in a statement . " We show that you could restore intuitive , mental capacity - controlled walking after a complete spinal cord injury . " [ Video : Paralyzed Man Walks Again with EEG System ]
Previously , people have used alike brainpower - controlled systems ( bonk as brain - computer interface ) to move arm prostheses , such as a robotlike weapon . And last yr , a paralyzed someone used hisbrain to control an exoskeletonthat allowed him to make the first kick of the 2014 World Cup .
The investigator say the new study supply cogent evidence of concept that a somebody with complete palsy of both stage can use a mind - contain system to stimulate leg muscles and reinstate walking .
However , the newfangled account is based on just one patient , so more research is necessitate to see if other paralyzed patients can benefit from the technology as well , the researchers said .
Still , " the system describe here represents an important step toward the developing of technologies that can restore or amend walking in somebody with paraplegia due to [ spinal electric cord trauma ] , " the researchers said .
Before the world could apply the system to walk , he first undergo mental training to learn to use his brain waves to check an avatar in virtual world . He also underwent physical breeding to strengthen his pegleg muscles .
Then , the patient used thebrain - control systemto recitation walking while he was suspended above ground . After 20 sessions in the suspended system , he was able to practice walk on the ground , the researchers said .
Dr. Elizabeth Tyler - Kabara , an associate professor of neurologic surgery and bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh , who was not involved with the study , pronounce that the study " is another footstep in demonstrating the feasibility of using brain - computer interfaces to control various equipment that already exist . "
In the case , the patient was controlling a equipment known as Parastep , which provides electrical foreplay to leg muscles to help campaign .
Typically , patient who use Parastep tug a push button to direct electric signals to the legs , but in the newfangled study , the control sign amount from the EEG . " By coupling two interesting technology , you stop up with something greater than the sum of the two , " Tyler - Kabara say .
In the hereafter , it may be potential to implant the intact system inside a patient ’s torso — using implants to the brain , spinal electric cord and other areas — so that a patient would not need to get in and out of the equipment , the researchers say .
In addition , electrical arousal of the back heftiness could avail activate the muscles and serve the affected role to keep his torso upright piano , without the exercise of a physical structure financial backing system , Do articulate . The researchers assay to do this in the current study , but this stimulation step in with the detection of the affected role ’s psyche waves , he pronounce .
" In the future , the growth of new algorithmic program to filter out these interference signaling or the development of a fully implantable brainiac - computing gadget interface system may permit us to overcome this job , and thereby allow a person to use the system without the partial body weight bread and butter , " Do said .
The work is published today ( Sept. 23 ) in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation .
