The journal Nature published an article that demonstrates another amazing application of modern technology to help people with very serious diseases.
The hero of the story was a completely paralyzed patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. At the time of the operation, which he underwent in 2019, he could no longer even move his eyes, that is, any possibility of at least some communication with people disappeared.
As part of the operation, two arrays of 64 electrodes were implanted into the patient’s brain, thus creating a brain-computer interface. As a result, the patient was able to modulate the frequency of excitation of neurons based on auditory feedback. He used this method to select letters one by one through a visual interface to form words and phrases.
The experiment in this case is unique, because previously this approach has never been used for people who are completely deprived of control over their muscles. Scientists initially did not even know whether it was possible in such a situation to implement any communication with the patient. It turned out that it was possible.
True, it took three months of unsuccessful attempts before the result was achieved. At the moment, the speed at which the patient is able to form words is very low – only one letter per minute. The reason is, first of all, the algorithm itself: a person can only answer a catchy yes or no when a letter is shown to him. That is, sometimes he needs to concentrate and answer negatively 10-20 times before the system gets to the desired letter.
It took three weeks to say the first sentences, and over the next year the patient said dozens of sentences. One of his earliest messages concerned his departure: he asked that his head be held up and straight when there were visitors in the room. Later, he also asked to be tube-fed various dishes, including goulash soup and sweet pea soup.
“From food, I want curry with potatoes, then bolognese and potato soup,” said one request. Also, one day he asked for a beer.
He was also able to interact with his four-year-old son and wife, generating the message “I love my cool son.”
Source: ixbt
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