|
 "That was the ultimate goal: to drink a beer by myself," said
Sorto, a 34-year-old from Los Angeles who became a quadriplegic
after a 2002 gunshot wound.
Things may be looking up for Sorto and others with similar
disabilities. Scientists on Thursday described a better way to
harness mind power to move prosthetic limbs.
Microelectrodes, implanted in the part of the brain that controls a
person's intention to perform a movement, enabled a patient to
fluidly guide a robotic arm, they said.
In a study published in the Science journal, surgeons at Keck
Medicine of the University of Southern California placed a pair of
small electrode arrays into Sorto's posterior parietal cortex, or
PPC.
 These neural prosthetics were then connected to computers that
processed Sorto's brain signals and determined his intent, allowing
him to control a robotic arm mounted to a table nearby, or a
computer cursor.
"Mr. Sorto was able to learn to grasp different objects, play
'rock-paper-scissors,' play video games, drink a beverage," said
California Institute of Technology neuroscientist Richard Andersen,
who led the study.
"The PPC is a rich source of signals that can be used to determine
the goals of a paralyzed subject," said Andersen. "These signals can
be used to control 'smart' robotics and computers that can work out
the details of movement of external devices such as a robotic limb."
Neural prosthetic devices have previously been implanted in
paralyzed patients' motor cortex, the part of the brain that
directly controls body movement. However, while those patients could
control a robotic limb, movement was delayed and jerky.
[to top of second column] |
Implanting the neuroprosthetics in the part of the brain that
controls the intent to move yielded a more natural motion.
Sorto said he had a few tasks lined up.
"On the top of the list is that I want to be able to groom myself. I
want to be able to brush my teeth by myself," he said.
And he was indeed able to drink his own beer.
"When I was able to do it with the robotic arm, it just reassured me
that somehow in the future, people with my disability will be able
to have some sort of independence," said Sorto. "And with that will
come some sort of self-pride."
(Editing by Bernadette Baum)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
