Brain implant restores movement and touch in tetraplegic patient

A groundbreaking brain implant system has enabled a man with complete tetraplegia to move his hand and feel touch for the first time in medical history. The study, published in Nature Medicine, describes a double neural bypass that combines brain implants, artificial intelligence, and spinal cord stimulation Source: clarin; infobae.

How the system works

The technology involves implanting microelectrodes in the motor and sensory cortex of the brain. A 15-hour surgery placed five microelectrode arrays—128 channels for motor signals and 96 for sensory signals—into the patient's brain Source: clarin. Machine learning algorithms decode movement intentions with 84.6% accuracy sustained over five months without recalibration Source: clarin. When the patient thinks about moving his hand, AI translates these signals into electrical stimulation patterns that activate arm muscles. Concurrently, force sensors in a 3D-printed orthotic send signals to the sensory cortex, creating tactile sensations Source: infobae.

Results and lasting improvements

The patient, Keith Thomas, who was paralyzed after a diving accident, showed an 86% increase in right arm strength and 62% in the left over 35 weeks Source: clarin. He could pick up empty eggshells without breaking them 87% of the time, scratch his nose, and feel his dog's fur Source: clarin; infobae. However, sources disagree on how long the benefits lasted: one report states improvements persisted over two years, while another says more than two months . The system also induced neuroplasticity, physically reorganizing damaged nerve circuits .