Using an implant that transmits impulses from his brain directly to the muscles that move his wrist and fingers, a 24-year-old man who was paralyzed in an accident six years ago has regained some movement of his hand.
The implant, often referred to as a brain bypass, enables Ian Burkhart to carry out tasks including picking up a bottle and dumping its contents, holding a phone to his ear, and stirring a cup in addition to enabling him to use a credit card and play the video game, Guitar Hero. He is the first to make use of the technology.
Burkhart, a native of Dublin, Ohio, was celebrating the conclusion of his first year of college by taking a beach vacation when he dove into a wave and was thrown onto a secret sandbar. He was a self-sufficient 19-year-old who had never given the possibility of being killed in an accident any thought.
Burkhart’s neck was broken at the C5 level by the force of the collision. His hands and legs were useless, but he could still move his arms to a certain extent. Friends rescued him from the sea and called for help. By accident, a firefighter who was off duty was on the beach and he dialed EMS.
He proceeded, and doctors properly implanted a small computer chip into his motor cortex. In this area, the chip detected electrical impulses coming from the motor cortex region that regulates hand motions.
It took some time to become proficient with the tool. Burkhart trained in hand control for 15 months, attending up to three sessions each week.
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“At first, we’d only have a little session, and I’d feel mentally worn out and drained as if I had just finished a six- or seven-hour test. For 19 years of my life, I took for granted the fact that I could think and move my fingers. But as more practice was gained, it got much simpler. It comes naturally.
“When I moved my hand for the first time, I had a glimmer of optimism that this is something that is working and I will be able to use my hand once more. Currently, it is only used in a clinical context, but with enough effort and focus, it may one day be something I can utilize both inside and outside of the hospital, to greatly enhance the quality of my life.
In 2014, Burkhart made the initial motions only with his thoughts. Since then, he has mastered increasingly difficult moves and has improved his finger and hand control. The most recent findings are described in Nature.
