............................................................ SIGHTINGS Implants Can Now Allow Humans To Control Computers By Nigel Hawkes Science Editor The Times (London) www.the-times.co.uk AN AMERICAN scientist has entered the world of science fiction by implanting electrodes in the brains of disabled people so that they can control a computer by the power of thought. The implants have enabled two paralysed people to move the cursor on the screen simply by thinking about moving part of their body. They were able to convey messages such as "I'm thirsty" or "please turn off the light" by pointing the cursor at different icons. The hope is that eventually patients will be able to communicate complex ideas just by thinking about them. "If you can run a computer, you can talk to the world," Dr Ray Bakay of Emory University in Atlanta, whose team developed the implants, said. A number of laboratories around the world are working on brain implants, but the only devices licensed for use so far are bionic ears for the profoundly deaf and chips which can control the tremor caused by Parkinson's disease. The Emory implants go much further. They consist of two hollow glass cones, each the size of a ballpoint pen tip, placed into the brain's motor cortex, which controls body movements. The cones are covered in chemicals that encourage nerve growth, extracted from the patient's knees. Once installed, nerve cells grow into the cones and attach themselves to tiny electrodes inside. The location of each cone is determined by monitoring the patient's brain using scanners and identifying the most active regions. Once the cones are in place and surrounded by nerve cells, the patient is asked to think about moving some part of the body, and signals from the electrodes are picked up by a small transmitter-receiver, amplified, and used to control a computer. Depending upon which nerves grow into the cones, each patient may have to think about moving a different part of the body to achieve the same effect. -110-