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Monkeys Re-Learn to Control Paralyzed Limbs

by Tim Stevens on October 16, 2008 at 02:45 PM



Chances are you've heard how the great majority of our brain cells sit more or less idle, seemingly just taking up space or doing something we haven't yet figured out. Scientists are finding they may be able to tap into that resource to re-train brains to control paralyzed limbs with a little help from external electrical stimulation. That's a concept proven by scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle, who were able to train a monkey to control a paralyzed limb using an unrelated brain cell.

The process is called functional electrical stimulation, or FES, which uses electricity to stimulate and activate muscles. It's effectively like running a patch around a damaged wire and controlling the muscles by an external system. Using FES, the monkey was able to re-learn how to control the wrist muscles in a paralyzed arm using a system that monitored activity in a single brain cell. A full implementation of this sort of system is still years or even decades away, but in the not too distant future this could allow those who've suffered spinal trauma to regain control of their limbs. [From: CBS News]

Tags: brain, fes, functional electrical stimulation, FunctionalElectricalStimulation, health, paralysis, science, university of washington, UniversityOfWashington

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