\nA brain implant has allowed a woman with the so-called \u201clocked-in syndrome<\/a>\u201d to finally communicate after amyotrophic lateral sclerosis<\/a> (ALS or Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease) robbed her of the ability to speak.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe brain-computer interface was implanted into the unnamed patient\u2019s brain, enabling her to communicate by translating a “brain click” into a mouse click, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/a>. With the interface, the patient could click on letters of the alphabet to spell out what she wanted to say.\n<\/p>\n
\nNick Ramsey, senior study author and cognitive neuroscientist at University Medical Center Utrecht, said the patient is ecstatic about the experimental device.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWe feel like we succeeded because she really wants to use it,\u201d Ramsey told ABC News. \u201cShe wants to keep the system.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nALS is a neurodegenerative disease in which patients gradually lose their ability to move, speak and even breathe. While they ultimately become paralyzed, ALS patients\u2019 cognitive function isn\u2019t affected by the disease.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe 58-year-old female patient studied had progressed to the point of being \u201clocked in\u201d before the implant. While her ability to think was completely intact, she could not move any part of her body except her eyes.\n<\/p>\n
\nTo help her communicate, researchers surgically implanted electrodes on the region of the brain responsible for hand movement. When she thinks about moving her hand, the device decodes the electric signals, translating them into clicks on a tablet computer.\n<\/p>\n
\nThis means the new device does not require her to move at all in order to communicate. Instead, she only needs to think about moving.\n<\/p>\n
\nFor now, the device only has four sensors, enabling the patient to select letters on a keyboard in order to write.\n<\/p>\n
\nWhile more research is needed to ensure the device is safe and effective in larger groups, Ramsey said that even after the study finished, the patient was excited to keep using the experimental device.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cShe was quite adamant that nobody touches her system and she is still using it now,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
\nIn the future, Ramsey said they hope if they have 30 to 40 sensors, there could be quicker and more nuanced communication.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201c[We] hope to be able to expand the capabilities of the next generation devices where we get more sensors,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat will make their lives even easier.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nRamsey has two other patients awaiting similar implants and plans on conducting additional trials, he said.\n<\/p>\n
\nBefore the implant, the woman in this study had lost her ability to make any noises and it became quite nerve-racking for her family to take her outside. \u201cWorst case scenario, her breathing tube could get disconnected and nobody would know unless someone was looking at her,\u201d Ramsey said.\n<\/p>\n
\nNow she has a way to communicate that can help her stay active, said Ramsey.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cShe is really a very active woman,\u201c said Ramsey. \u201cShe has three children in their late teens. She likes to go outside. She likes to go on holiday. She likes to do things that ordinary people do.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nDr. JOELLE ROSSER is an internal medicine physician at the University of Washington and a resident at ABC News Medical Unit. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A brain implant has allowed a woman with the so-called \u201clocked-in syndrome\u201d to finally communicate after amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease) robbed her of the ability to speak. The brain-computer interface was implanted into the unnamed patient\u2019s brain, enabling her to communicate by translating a “brain click” into a mouse click, according Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130618\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}