Brain signals revive paralyzed muscles in monkeys

[OhioChick]

Source: AP

Associated Press
Oct 15, 3:13 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) -- Monkeys taught to play a computer game were able to overcome wrist paralysis with an experimental device that might lead to new treatments for patients with stroke and spinal cord injury.

Remarkably, the monkeys regained use of paralyzed muscles by learning to control the activity of just a single brain cell.

The result is "an important step forward," said Dawn Taylor of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, who studies the concept of using brain signals to overcome paralysis. She wasn't involved in the new work.

The device monitored the activity of a brain cell and used that as a cue to stimulate wrist muscles electrically. Researchers found it could even use brain cells that normally had nothing to do with wrist movement, said study co-author Chet Moritz.

So a large untapped pool of brain cells may be available for letting paralyzed people do things like grasping a coffee cup or brushing teeth, Moritz said. But he stressed the approach is years, if not decades, away from use in people.




Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SCI_BYPASSING_PARALYSIS?SITE=OHCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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It's nice to find some positive news once in a while. :thumbsup:

[Quantess]

1. Great news. Too bad for the experimental monkeys, though.

[bean fidhleir]

3. That was my thought, too.

It's wonderful for the human benficiaries, but horrible for the poor creatures who get stuck with the check.

[The2ndWheel]

2. It is amazing what we can do

when the patient can't say no.

[Lautremont]

4. Why do only monkeys benefit from science?

Why can't these miracles be applied to humans?

[OhioChick]

5. Hopefully, they will be applied to humans soon. n/t

[LiberalFighter]

7. Won't work on all humans. Especially those that were AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard.

[SemperEadem]

6. this is good news, not only for paralysis patients, but also patients with MS

[Javaman]

8. the monkey learns to control the activity of just a single brain cell..

hell, moron* has been doing that for a while now!

:rofl: !!!!!!

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. Well, it's too late to help the world's most famous primate