2024-02-29 20:23:17
A brain implant allowed a 67-year-old American diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to use the computer once more and have more autonomy in his life.
Florist Mark is the tenth person in the world to receive the brain chip from the company Synchron in a clinical trial studying the brain-computer interface (BCI). The device, called BIC, was placed in his brain six months ago, in August 2023.
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Synchron is the first company to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin human trials. The Stentrode is a paper clip-sized stent with electrode sensors that can detect electrical activity in the brain. Thus, it reads brain waves and translates them into actions on a computer.
Brazilian doctor Raul Nogueira, director of the UPMC Stroke Institute, at the University of Pittsburgh (USA), was responsible for implanting the stent in Mark’s brain. “My hope is that in the next 5 to 10 years we will see the chip in the patient setting,” he says.
Currently, patients can send health-related notes and play ping-pong on the computer. Researchers believe that soon, when the BCI can be operated at greater capacity, the volunteer will be able to perform more complex tasks, such as sending text messages and accessing streaming platforms to watch their favorite programs.
Mark was diagnosed with ALS in 2020. Since then, he slowly lost his physical abilities and strength and eventually moved to live with his brother. “It was difficult to accept. I still consider myself young. I lived alone for 13 years, I was used to doing everything alone,” he says in an interview with CNN.
ALS is a neurological disease that affects the nervous system in a degenerative and progressive way, with the deterioration of nerve cells. The condition leads to gradual and irreversible motor paralysis and the early death of patients as a result of the loss of speech, movement, swallowing and breathing capabilities.
Chip cerebral
The Synchron implant is placed in a minimally invasive procedure with a small incision in the neck similar to inserting stents into the heart. But in this case, the device is directed to the brain’s motor cortex, from where it sends movement signals to the body.
A pacemaker-like transmitter is surgically placed in the chest cavity and receives signals from the BCI when it recognizes brain waves that indicate the intention to perform a movement, such as clicking somewhere on a computer screen.
It competes with Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip. The tycoon’s company received FDA approval to begin human testing in May 2023 and performed the first procedure in January.
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