............................................................
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.

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