A paralyzed man suffering from anytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been able to communicate with his family again after having his brain microchipped. He uses his newfound ability to ask for beer and curry.
The 36-year-old German patient was diagnosed with ALS in 2015. When ALS patients could no longer speak, they could use a device that tracks eye movements to select letters on the screen. If the condition gets worse, they can answer yes or no with eye movements.
Researchers implanted two arrays of electrodes into the patient's brain in March 2019. To date, brain implants have not been tested in locked-in patients, and it is not known whether people who have lost muscle control can still communicate.
"This study answers the long-standing question of whether people with locked-in syndrome -- who have lost all muscle control, including eye or mouth movements -- also lose their brain's ability to generate commands to communicate," said neuroscientist Dr. Wyss Center. Jonas Zimmermann, as quoted from The Independent, Sunday (27/3/2022).
The ALS patient collaborated with researchers from the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva, Switzerland. He gave permission for the implant in 2018, when he was still able to communicate with his eye movements.
It took the researchers three months before they reached a configuration that allows patients to use brain signals to generate a binary response to a spelling program to answer a question with a 'yes' or 'no'.
It took another three weeks for the patient to form his first sentence. And in one year later, the patient could form dozens of sentences.
One of the first communications a patient has with their nurse is asking them to raise their head in an upright position when there are visitors in the room.
He also once asked for various types of food to be inserted through the tube, including curry soup and sweet bean soup. "For food I'd like curry with potatoes then bolognese and potato soup," one request wrote.
The man can also communicate with his wife and 4 year old son. "I love my cool son," wrote the man's message to his son.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, says a brain chip communication system (BCI) could be used in the patient's home, with some sessions being conducted remotely using the patient's laptop.
The researchers behind the brain chip technology are now raising funds to provide similar implants for other ALS patients. The cost of using this technology is estimated at USD 500,000 for two years of use.
"This is an important step for people with ALS who are being treated outside of a hospital setting," said George Kouvas, Wyss Center Chief Technology Officer.
"This technology, benefiting patients and their families in their own environment, is a wonderful example of how technological advances in the field of BCI can be translated to create an immediate impact," he concluded.