Electrical Circuit Helps Paralyzed Monkeys Move

Researchers at the University of Washington used external wires to reroute two monkeys’ brain signals, enabling them to regain control of their paralyzed wrists to play a simple video game. According to a study recently published in Nature, the research could lead to the development of devices that allow people suffering from paralysis to regain some control of their limbs.

In the recent experiment, scientists trained monkeys to move their wrists up or down to guide a cursor to targets on a computer screen. After the monkeys learned to play the video game, the researchers implanted wires from the electrode in the brain to the muscles in the monkeys’ forearm. The scientists recorded signals from individual brain cells to determine the firing rate used for wrist movement. They then anesthetized the monkeys, disrupting their brains’ natural motor signals to the arms to temporarily paralyze their arms. Using a small battery-operated device, the researchers were able to bypass the monkeys’ natural never pathway from the brain to the wrists, artificially converting their brain signals into electrical stimulation to induce muscle movement. As a result, the animals were able to continue playing the game using their otherwise paralyzed wrists to move the cursors.

Tags: device, motor signals, paralysis, University of Washington