    ............................................................
    SIGHTINGS

        Implants Can Now Allow Humans To Control Computers
                        By Nigel Hawkes
                         Science Editor
                       The Times (London)
                      www.the-times.co.uk

    AN AMERICAN scientist has entered the world of science
    fiction by implanting electrodes in the brains of disabled
    people so that they can control a computer by the power of
    thought.

    The implants have enabled two paralysed people to move the
    cursor on the screen simply by thinking about moving part of
    their body. They were able to convey messages such as "I'm
    thirsty" or "please turn off the light" by pointing the
    cursor at different icons.

    The hope is that eventually patients will be able to
    communicate complex ideas just by thinking about them. "If
    you can run a computer, you can talk to the world," Dr Ray
    Bakay of Emory University in Atlanta, whose team developed
    the implants, said.

    A number of laboratories around the world are working on
    brain implants, but the only devices licensed for use so far
    are bionic ears for the profoundly deaf and chips which can
    control the tremor caused by Parkinson's disease.

    The Emory implants go much further. They consist of two
    hollow glass cones, each the size of a ballpoint pen tip,
    placed into the brain's motor cortex, which controls body
    movements. The cones are covered in chemicals that encourage
    nerve growth, extracted from the patient's knees. Once
    installed, nerve cells grow into the cones and attach
    themselves to tiny electrodes inside.

    The location of each cone is determined by monitoring the
    patient's brain using scanners and identifying the most
    active regions. Once the cones are in place and surrounded by
    nerve cells, the patient is asked to think about moving some
    part of the body, and signals from the electrodes are picked
    up by a small transmitter-receiver, amplified, and used to
    control a computer. Depending upon which nerves grow into the
    cones, each patient may have to think about moving a
    different part of the body to achieve the same effect.

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