© Duke Center for Neuroengineering
MOSCOW, November 6 – RIA Novosti. American biologists have taught monkeys the power of thought to control two virtual hands, instead of one, as was done earlier – this is another step in the development of controlled directly by the brain for artificial limbs paralyzed people, according to a paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
“Millions of people are suffering from sensory and motor defects caused by spinal cord injuries. Neuro-computer interface – an artificial system that can restore movement and tactile function in these patients due to” connect “their brain to special devices” – written by Miguel Nicolelis (Miguel Nicolelis) from Duke University, a graduate of MIPT and a member of the Duke University Mikhail Lebedev and their colleagues.
Two years ago, the team of scientists used a neuro-computer interface in a similar experiment: they are connected to the motor centers of the brain of the primacy of ultra-thin electrodes and connected them to the computer, so that the monkeys were able to control the power of thought virtual hand.
In the new experiment, rhesus monkeys learned to move with two virtual limbs. Animals seen on a computer monitor two round the subject and made his “Avatar” put his hands on them – in the beginning with the joystick, then – by pure thought. Thus scientists to “read” the nerve signals of subjects with previously implanted them multielektrodnyh matrices. Within 15 days, the monkeys learned to cope with the task.
success rhesus monkeys explained plasticity of the brain – the ability to change with training, the scientists say. In the study, they found that motor function is responsible for a lot of nerve cells at once, rather than each individually, and their activity is enhanced when primates run two virtual hands right away – these findings will be important in the development of the system, restoring motor function in people with impaired spinal cord.
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