Restoring Communication and Mobility Through Neurotechnology

A diverse team of scientists is developing technologies to restore the communication, mobility and independence of people with neurologic disease, injury, or limb loss. Using a baby aspirin-sized array of electrodes implanted into the brain, early research from the "BrainGate" team has shown that the neural signals associated with the intent to move a limb can be “decoded” by a computer in real-time and used to operate external devices. This work has allowed people with spinal cord injury, brainstem stroke, and ALS to control a computer cursor simply by thinking about the movement of their own paralyzed hand.