In the near future, people with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, may be able to regain the ability to communicate with their loved ones. New neurological research involves implanting a patient's brain with microelectrodes which allow him to spell words using his thoughts.
This brain-computer interface was tested on the man for 86 days before trying a method called auditory neurofeedback. In it, the man learned to hit audible target notes by increasing or decreasing his neural activity. A higher tone—increased firing rate of neurons—meant “yes,” while a lower tone meant “no.”
Within this method, the patient was able to spell about 1 letter per minute. In the end, out of 107 days that the man spelled words, he produced intelligible output on 44 days, according to the study. Of the various sentences that the patient was able to produce, two stood out: "I would like to listen to the album by Tool loud" and "I love my cool son."
This may be a long road, but the discovery gives the team hope that someday ALS patients will be able to express themselves no matter how their physicality declines.
Image: Wyss Center
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