BrainGate

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BrainGate is a brain implant system, currently under development and in clinical trials, designed to help those who have lost control of their limbs, or other bodily functions, such as patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or spinal cord injury. The Braingate technology and related Cyberkinetic’s assets are now owned by privately held Braingate, Co. [1] The sensor, which is implanted into the brain, monitors brain activity in the patient and converts the intention of the user into computer commands.

Contents

Technology

Dummy unit illustrating the design of a BrainGate interface BrainGate.jpg
Dummy unit illustrating the design of a BrainGate interface

In its current form, BrainGate consists of a sensor implanted in the brain and an external decoder device, which connects to some kind of prosthetic or other external object. The sensor is in the form of a microelectrode array, formerly known as the Utah Array, which consists of 100 hair-thin electrodes that sense the electromagnetic signature of neurons firing in specific areas of the brain, for example, the area that controls arm movement. The sensor translates that activity into electrically charged signals, which are then sent to an external device and decoded in software. The decoder connects to and can use the brain signals to control an external device, such as a robotic arm, a computer cursor, or even a wheelchair. In essence, BrainGate allows a person to manipulate objects in the world using only the mind.

In addition to real-time analysis of neuron patterns to relay movement, the BrainGate array is also capable of recording electrical data for later analysis. A potential use of this feature would be for a neurologist to study seizure patterns in a patient with epilepsy.

History

BrainGate was originally developed by researchers in the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University in conjunction with bio-tech company Cyberkinetics, Inc. Cyberkinetics later spun off the device manufacturing to Blackrock Microsystems, who now manufactures the sensors and the data acquisition hardware. [2] The BrainGate Company purchased the intellectual property and related technology from Cyberkinetics and continues to own the intellectual property related to BrainGate. [1] [2]

Research and experimental results

The first reported experiments involving the implantation of the microelectrode array in one human subject were carried out in 2002 by Kevin Warwick, Mark Gasson and Peter Kyberd. [3] The procedure, which was performed at the Radcliffe Infirmary, involved the implantation of the array in the peripheral nerves of the subject in order to successfully bring about both motor and sensory functionality, i.e. bi-directional signalling. [4]

The subsequent full clinical trial of BrainGate was led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brown University, and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and ran from 2004 to 2006, involving the study of four patients with tetraplegia. The results, published in a 2006 article in the journal Nature , showed that a human with tetraplegia was able to control a cursor on a computer screen just by thinking, enabling him to open emails, and to operate devices such as a television. [5] One participant, Matt Nagle, had a spinal cord injury, while another had advanced ALS. [6]

In July 2009, a second clinical trial, dubbed "BrainGate2", was initiated by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brown University, and the Providence VA. [7] [8] In November 2011, researchers from the Stanford University Neural Prosthetics Translational Laboratory joined the trial as a second site. [9] This trial is ongoing.

In May 2012, BrainGate researchers published a study in Nature demonstrating that two people paralyzed by brainstem stroke several years earlier were able to control robotic arms for reaching and grasping. [10] One participant, Cathy Hutchinson, was able to use the arm to drink coffee from a bottle, [11] the first time she was able to drink unaided in 15 years. [12] [13] [14] This took place on site at The Boston Home in Dorchester, Massachusetts, a specialized residence where Ms. Hutchinson resided. [15] The study included researchers at Brown University, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the German Aerospace Center. [14]

Current clinical trials

Clinical trials began in 2009 under the name "BrainGate2 Neural Interface System". [16] [17] As of October 2014, Stanford University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) and Providence VA Medical Center were actively recruiting participants for the ongoing BrainGate2 clinical trial. [17]

In April 2021, BrainGate became the first technology to transmit wireless commands from a human brain to a computer. The clinical study used two participants with spinal cord injuries. The study used a transmitter connected to the subject's brain motor cortex to transmit the signals. The accuracy and speed of typing and movement was reported to be identical to that of wired solutions. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prosthesis</span> Artificial device that replaces a missing body part

In medicine, a prosthesis, or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth. Prostheses are intended to restore the normal functions of the missing body part. Amputee rehabilitation is primarily coordinated by a physiatrist as part of an inter-disciplinary team consisting of physiatrists, prosthetists, nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. Prostheses can be created by hand or with computer-aided design (CAD), a software interface that helps creators design and analyze the creation with computer-generated 2-D and 3-D graphics as well as analysis and optimization tools.

Cyberware is a relatively new and unknown field. In science fiction circles, however, it is commonly known to mean the hardware or machine parts implanted in the human body and acting as an interface between the central nervous system and the computers or machinery connected to it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brain–computer interface</span> Direct communication pathway between an enhanced or wired brain and an external device

A brain–computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a brain–machine interface (BMI) or smartbrain, is a direct communication pathway between the brain's electrical activity and an external device, most commonly a computer or robotic limb. BCIs are often directed at researching, mapping, assisting, augmenting, or repairing human cognitive or sensory-motor functions. They are often conceptualized as a human–machine interface that skips the intermediary component of the physical movement of body parts, although they also raise the possibility of the erasure of the discreteness of brain and machine. Implementations of BCIs range from non-invasive and partially invasive to invasive, based on how close electrodes get to brain tissue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyberkinetics</span>

Cyberkinetics is an American company with roots tied to the University of Utah. It was co-founded by John Donoghue, Mijail Serruya, Gerhard Friehs of Brown University, and Nicho Hatsopoulos of the University of Chicago. The Braingate technology and related Cyberkinetic’s assets were sold to Blackrock Neurotech and BrainGate Inc. in 2008.

Matthew Nagle was the first person to use a brain–computer interface to restore functionality lost due to paralysis. He was a C3 tetraplegic, paralyzed from the neck down after being stabbed.

Brain implants, often referred to as neural implants, are technological devices that connect directly to a biological subject's brain – usually placed on the surface of the brain, or attached to the brain's cortex. A common purpose of modern brain implants and the focus of much current research is establishing a biomedical prosthesis circumventing areas in the brain that have become dysfunctional after a stroke or other head injuries. This includes sensory substitution, e.g., in vision. Other brain implants are used in animal experiments simply to record brain activity for scientific reasons. Some brain implants involve creating interfaces between neural systems and computer chips. This work is part of a wider research field called brain–computer interfaces.

Neuroprosthetics is a discipline related to neuroscience and biomedical engineering concerned with developing neural prostheses. They are sometimes contrasted with a brain–computer interface, which connects the brain to a computer rather than a device meant to replace missing biological functionality.

Neural engineering is a discipline within biomedical engineering that uses engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace, or enhance neural systems. Neural engineers are uniquely qualified to solve design problems at the interface of living neural tissue and non-living constructs.

Bio-mechatronics is an applied interdisciplinary science that aims to integrate biology and mechatronics. It also encompasses the fields of robotics and neuroscience. Biomechatronic devices cover a wide range of applications, from developing prosthetic limbs to engineering solutions concerning respiration, vision, and the cardiovascular system.

In neuroscience, single-unit recordings provide a method of measuring the electro-physiological responses of a single neuron using a microelectrode system. When a neuron generates an action potential, the signal propagates down the neuron as a current which flows in and out of the cell through excitable membrane regions in the soma and axon. A microelectrode is inserted into the brain, where it can record the rate of change in voltage with respect to time. These microelectrodes must be fine-tipped, impedance matching; they are primarily glass micro-pipettes, metal microelectrodes made of platinum, tungsten, iridium or even iridium oxide. Microelectrodes can be carefully placed close to the cell membrane, allowing the ability to record extracellularly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Gasson</span> British research scientist

Mark N. Gasson is a British scientist and visiting research fellow at the Cybernetics Research Group, University of Reading, UK. He pioneered developments in direct neural interfaces between computer systems and the human nervous system, has developed brain–computer interfaces and is active in the research fields of human microchip implants, medical devices and digital identity. He is known for his experiments transmitting a computer virus into a human implant, and is credited with being the first human infected with a computer virus.

A visual prosthesis, often referred to as a bionic eye, is an experimental visual device intended to restore functional vision in those with partial or total blindness. Many devices have been developed, usually modeled on the cochlear implant or bionic ear devices, a type of neural prosthesis in use since the mid-1980s. The idea of using electrical current to provide sight dates back to the 18th century, discussed by Benjamin Franklin, Tiberius Cavallo, and Charles LeRoy.

Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are devices that contain multiple microelectrodes through which neural signals are obtained or delivered, essentially serving as neural interfaces that connect neurons to electronic circuitry. There are two general classes of MEAs: implantable MEAs, used in vivo, and non-implantable MEAs, used in vitro.

The BCI Research Award is an annual award for innovative research in the field of brain-computer interfaces. It is organized by the BCI Award Foundation. The prize is $3000 for first, $2000 for second, and $1000 for third place. The prizes are provided by g.tec medical engineering, Cortec, Intheon and IEEE Brain.. Christoph Guger and Dean Krusienski are the chairmen of the Foundation.

Brain technology, or self-learning know-how systems, defines a technology that employs latest findings in neuroscience. [see also neuro implants] The term was first introduced by the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in Zurich, Switzerland, in the context of the Roboy project. Brain Technology can be employed in robots, know-how management systems and any other application with self-learning capabilities. In particular, Brain Technology applications allow the visualization of the underlying learning architecture often coined as “know-how maps”.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stent-electrode recording array</span> Stent-mounted electrode array that is permanently implanted into a blood vessel in the brain

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A chronic electrode implant is an electronic device implanted chronically into the brain or other electrically excitable tissue. It may record electrical impulses in the brain or may stimulate neurons with electrical impulses from an external source.

A cortical implant is a subset of neuroprosthetics that is in direct connection with the cerebral cortex of the brain. By directly interfacing with different regions of the cortex, the cortical implant can provide stimulation to an immediate area and provide different benefits, depending on its design and placement. A typical cortical implant is an implantable microelectrode array, which is a small device through which a neural signal can be received or transmitted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mind-controlled wheelchair</span>

A mind-controlled wheelchair is a motorized wheelchair controlled by a brain–computer interface. Such a wheelchair could be of great importance to patients with locked-in syndrome (LIS), in which a patient is aware but cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body except the eyes. Such wheelchairs can also be used in case of muscular dystrophy, a disease that weakens the musculoskeletal system and hampers locomotion.

Neural dust is a hypothetical class of nanometer-sized devices operated as wirelessly powered nerve sensors; it is a type of brain–computer interface. The sensors may be used to study, monitor, or control the nerves and muscles and to remotely monitor neural activity. In practice, a medical treatment could introduce thousands of neural dust devices into human brains. The term is derived from "smart dust", as the sensors used as neural dust may also be defined by this concept.

References

  1. 1 2 Kirsner, Scott (12 August 2009). "CyberKinetics' Brain-to-Computer Interface Gets a Second Chance". Boston.com . Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Neuroscience Research Systems Blackrock Microsystems" . Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  3. ↑ Warwick, K, Gasson, M, Hutt, B, Goodhew, I, Kyberd, P, Andrews, B, Teddy, P and Shad, A: "The Application of Implant Technology for Cybernetic Systems", Archives of Neurology, 60(10), pp1369-1373, 2003 doi : 10.1001/archneur.60.10.1369
  4. ↑ Legato, M Editor: ”Principles of Gender-Specific Medicine”, Academic Press, 2017
  5. ↑ Hochberg LR, Serruya MD, Friehs GM, Mukand JA, Saleh M, Caplan AH, Branner A, Chen D, Penn RD, Donoghue JP (July 2006). "Neuronal ensemble control of prosthetic devices by a human with tetraplegia". Nature. 442 (7099): 164–171. Bibcode:2006Natur.442..164H. doi:10.1038/nature04970. PMID   16838014. S2CID   4347367.
  6. ↑ "Mind Control". Wired . 1 March 2005.
  7. ↑ "BrainGate - Turning thought into Action". 2015-12-04.
  8. ↑ "BrainGate2: Feasibility Study of an Intracortical Neural Interface System for Persons With Tetraplegia (BrainGate2)".
  9. ↑ Tanya Lewis. "Stanford joins BrainGate team developing brain-computer interface to aid people with paralysis". Stanford School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011.
  10. ↑ Hochberg LR, Bacher D, Jarosiewicz B, Masse NY, Simeral JD, Vogel J, Haddadin S, Liu J, Cash SS, van der Smagt P, Donoghue JP (May 2012). "Reach and grasp by people with tetraplegia using a neurally controlled robotic arm". Nature. 485 (7398): 372–375. Bibcode:2012Natur.485..372H. doi:10.1038/nature11076. PMC   3640850 . PMID   22596161.
  11. ↑ "Paralysed woman moves robot with her mind - by Nature Video". YouTube: Nature video. 16 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "People with paralysis control robotic arms using brain-computer interface". Brown University. May 2012.
  13. ↑ Abbott, Alison (May 16, 2012). "Mind-controlled robot arms show promise". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2012.10652. S2CID   61793032.
  14. 1 2 "People with paralysis control robotic arms using brain-computer interface". Brown University. 16 May 2012.
  15. ↑ "The Boston Home Connection to a technology breakthrough". 16 May 2012. Archived from the original on 15 November 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  16. ↑ "Clinical Trials" . Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  17. 1 2 "BrainGate2: Feasibility Study of an Intracortical Neural Interface System for Persons With Tetraplegia (BrainGate2)". ClinicalTrials.gov . Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  18. ↑ Cuthbertson, Anthony (3 April 2021). "Scientists connect human brain to computer wirelessly for first time ever". The Independent . Retrieved 5 April 2021.
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