In what is believed to be the first case of its kind, biomedicine researchers used two temporarily implanted technologies to restore the arm and hand movements of a man who'd been paralyzed in a bicycle accident from the shoulders down eight years prior, according to a new study published in the journal The Lancet.
To restore the functionality of Bill Kochevar's arm and hand, researchers implanted 96-channel electrode arrays — each approximately the size of a baby aspirin — in the motor cortex portion of Mr. Kochevar's brain. The arrays are used to detect brain signals released when Mr. Kochevar thinks about moving his arm and hand. A brain-computer interface then interprets these signals to determine the type of movement Mr. Kochevar wants to make. The interpretation is then used to command and electronic simulation system.
Prior to moving his own hand and arm, Mr. Kochevar trained by moving a virtual arm for four months. The team then implanted electrodes that animate muscles in the upper and lower arm. After 45 weeks of rehabbing atrophied muscles and practicing various movements, Mr. Kochevar can now use the technology to perform movements like scratching the side of his nose and scooping mashed potatoes from a bowl.
"He's really breaking ground for the spinal cord injury community," said Bob Kirsch, PhD chair of the department of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and the senior author of the study. "This is a major step toward restoring some independence."
To watch a video on Mr. Kochevar's progress, click here.
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