Brain implant helps paralysed man feed himself

Brain implant enables paralysed man to feed himself and drink from cup

6 reported1 unconfirmed

A man paralysed from the chest down in a swimming accident six years ago has been able to feed himself and drink from a cup after receiving a brain implant that bypasses his spinal cord injury, according to a single-source report from The Guardian. Keith Thomas of Massapequa, New York, could not lift his arms off his wheelchair when he agreed to trial the technology in 2021, but after surgery to implant electrodes in his brain and months of training, he regained the ability to move his limbs. The brain-computer interface also sent signals back to his brain to recreate the sensation of touch, allowing him to feel his sister’s hand and his pet dog’s fur. Researchers reported that the technology appeared to partly rewire Thomas’s nervous system, restoring some hand functions and sensations that persist even when the system is switched off. The findings were published in Nature Medicine, describing Thomas’s progress after 35 weeks of training, with strength increases of 86% in his right arm and 62% in his left. The researchers also developed a technique called cortical mirroring to improve Thomas’s sense of touch, and after 25 weeks of therapy, he regained sensation in a region that had been numb since his accident. It remains unclear how much function and sensation the technology can restore, and further trials are needed.

What’s reported

Keith Thomas, 42 at the time, broke his neck diving into a swimming pool in July 2020 and was paralysed from the chest down.

He joined a three-year clinical trial in October 2021 of a “double neural bypass” using electrodes implanted in his brain.

The system detects when Thomas wants to move his arms, routes signals to his arms and hands, and uses pressure sensors to send touch signals back to his brain.

After 35 weeks of training, his right arm strength increased 86% and his left arm strength increased 62%.

A technique called cortical mirroring was used to improve his sense of touch; after 25 weeks of therapy targeting his right wrist, he regained sensation in a previously numb area.

Gains were still present after more than two years, according to Prof Chad Bouton, whose team developed the technology at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.

Open questions

It is unclear how much function and sensation the technology can restore to paralysed limbs, and trials involving more patients are needed to see how well it works for patients with different spinal cord injuries.