New technology allows tetraplegic man to move hand with thought

A man who was paralysed from below the neck after crashing his bike into a truck can once again drink a cup of coffee and eat mashed potato with a fork, after a world-first procedure to allow him to control his hand with the power of thought.

Bill Kochevar, 53, has had electrical implants in the motor cortex of his brain and sensors inserted in his forearm, which allow the muscles of his arm and hand to be stimulated in response to signals from his brain, decoded by computer. After eight years, he is able to drink and feed himself without assistance.

“I think about what I want to do and the system does it for me,” Kochevar told the Guardian. “It’s not a lot of thinking about it. When I want to do something, my brain does what it does.”

The experimental technology, pioneered by the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, is the first in the world to restore brain-controlled reaching and grasping in a person with complete paralysis.

For now, the process is relatively slow, but the scientists behind the breakthrough say this is proof of concept and that they hope to streamline the technology until it becomes a routine treatment for people with paralysis. In the future, they say, it will also be wireless and the electrical arrays and sensors will all be implanted under the skin and invisible.

“Our research is at an early stage, but we believe that this neuroprosthesis could offer individuals with paralysis the possibility of regaining arm and hand functions to perform day-to-day activities, offering them greater independence,” said Dr Bolu Ajiboye, lead author of a paper detailing the research in the Lancet medical journal.

“So far it has helped a man with tetraplegia to reach and grasp, meaning he could feed himself and drink. With further development, we believe the technology could give more accurate control, allowing a wider range of actions, which could begin to transform the lives of people living with paralysis.”

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the muscles and nerves has been tried before in patients with paralysis, but they have had to use whatever movements they have left, such as shoulder shrugs or head nods, to trigger it. Kochevar, however, only has to think about what he wants to do.

He underwent brain surgery to implant sensors in the motor cortex area responsible for hand movement, linked to a computer. Kochevar went through four months of training, thinking about the turn of the wrist or grip of the fingers that he needed in order to bring about the movement of a virtual reality arm, so that the computer could recognise the necessary signals from the motor cortex.

Then he had 36 muscle-stimulating electrodes implanted into his upper and lower arm, including four that helped restore finger and thumb, wrist, elbow and shoulder movements. These were switched on 17 days after the procedure, and began stimulating the muscles for eight hours a week over 18 weeks to improve strength, movement and reduce muscle fatigue.

Then the whole system was connected up, so that signals from the brain were translated via a decoder into electrical impulses to trigger movement in the muscles and nerves in his arm.

“It was wow – I can do that now!” he said. “In the future I will be able any time I want to take a drink of something or feed myself.”

Graphic of technology process

Kochevar lost all power of movement after an accident during a charity bike ride in Cleveland for the MS Society. He was riding behind a mail truck, he said, when it stopped suddenly. “I went head first into it,” he said.

Ajiboye said he wanted Kochevar to be able to move his arm easily. “That is the goal – to make the technology seamless to him, in the sense of he thinks about him moving his arm and it moves,” he said.

The limitation for now was the number of muscles that could be stimulated and the wires that extrude. The slowness of the movement was not something that bothered patients, he said. “If you ask the users what their primary goal is, it is function not speed.”

There is no question of curing paralysis through this technology – it circumvents the injury instead.

“The goal is futuristic: a paralysed individual thinks about moving her arm as if her brain and muscles were not disconnected, and implanted technology seamlessly executes the desired movement … this study is groundbreaking as the first report of a person executing functional, multi-joint movements of a paralysed limb with a motor neuroprosthesis,” said Dr Steve Perlmutter from the University of Washington, in a linked comment in the Lancet.

“However, this treatment is not nearly ready for use outside the lab. The movements were rough and slow and required continuous visual feedback, as is the case for most available brain–machine interfaces, and had restricted range due to the use of a motorised device to assist shoulder movements … Thus, the study is a proof-of-principle demonstration of what is possible, rather than a fundamental advance in neuroprosthetic concepts or technology. But it is an exciting demonstration nonetheless, and the future of motor neuroprosthetics to overcome paralysis is brighter.”

New technology allows tetraplegic man to move hand with thought

IVF availability ‘allows ladies to delay obtaining infants and pursue careers’

Girls who reside in countries where IVF is extensively available are a lot more very likely to delay the essential events in their personalized lives so that they can concentrate on developing their careers.

New analysis suggests that girls with prepared access to IVF are much more most likely to marry, to full their university schooling and to pursue postgraduate qualifications later on in their lives.

The study, by economists Naomi Gershoni and Corinne Reduced, is to be presented at the yearly congress of the European Economic Association in Mannheim which starts tomorrow. It seems to be at Israel, the place in 1994 IVF was made free of charge to all citizens, the most generous offer you of its type in the globe. In Israel four% of all infants are born using the engineering, compared with all around one% in the United States.

The two economists examined whether females employed the extension of their reproductive lives to invest much more time in schooling and more invest in their careers.

Employing Israeli census data, they found that, following the policy change in 1994, ladies in Israel have been more probably to marry later, complete school schooling and accomplish submit-university education. They noted: “The extended later on-lifestyle fertility offered by this policy was responsible for a third of a year enhance in first marriage age, a three% improve in university completion and an almost 4% boost in graduate school completion for university graduates.”

The statistically important findings increase essential concerns about the website link amongst a woman’s profession and her willingness to delay commencing a loved ones.

Last week Laura Wade-Gery, the female tipped to be the next boss of Marks &amp Spencer, revealed that she is about to have her first kid at 50. The revelation sparked a debate about the issues confronting females in achieving a wholesome perform-life balance.

To encourage ladies to concentrate on their careers, some firms are presently creating IVF and other reproductive technologies available as a task perk. The two Apple and Facebook supply to spend for their female personnel to have their eggs frozen so that they can delay having youngsters.

The two economists liken this method to taking out an insurance policy. They assess the advent of IVF with that of the birth manage pill, which aided girls stay away from pregnancy for the duration of their early twenties.

But now, as girls carry on to climb the career ladder, the demands manufactured on them by their jobs have intensified, leading to a expanding number to postpone childbearing until late into their 30s. “By offering individuals a form of insurance coverage against later on-daily life infertility, ladies who needed to pursue a profession have been in a position to do so with out obtaining to fear as considerably about regardless of whether this would prevent them from getting a household,” the economists explained.

The findings will be studied closely by nations hunting to follow Israel’s lead on IVF. “Our findings present that the beneficiaries of IVF and other assisted-reproduction technologies lengthen to young ladies who have been otherwise discouraged from generating considerable occupation investments,” the authors mentioned. “This is specially pertinent as organizations contemplate funding for staff to freeze their eggs as nicely as other fertility-extending measures, and policy-makers take into account the require for public funding of infertility remedies.”

Gershoni and Reduced believe that the use of IVF also has societal impacts past the ladies who use it.

Gershoni explained: “Through extensive media coverage of older females having children efficiently, younger ladies may possibly have transformed their beliefs about the probability of successful pregnancies later in daily life, and thus the value of time-consuming career investments, this kind of as going to graduate school.”

IVF availability ‘allows ladies to delay obtaining infants and pursue careers’

IVF availability ‘allows women to delay obtaining babies and pursue careers’

Women who live in nations where IVF is broadly available are more probably to delay the crucial occasions in their private lives so that they can focus on constructing their careers.

New study suggests that girls with ready accessibility to IVF are a lot more most likely to marry, to comprehensive their university training and to pursue postgraduate qualifications later on in their lives.

The review, by economists Naomi Gershoni and Corinne Reduced, is to be presented at the yearly congress of the European Financial Association in Mannheim which commences tomorrow. It appears at Israel, in which in 1994 IVF was created free to all citizens, the most generous offer of its type in the planet. In Israel four% of all infants are born employing the engineering, compared with around 1% in the United States.

The two economists tested regardless of whether ladies used the extension of their reproductive lives to invest more time in training and even more invest in their careers.

Making use of Israeli census information, they discovered that, following the policy adjust in 1994, ladies in Israel had been far more very likely to marry later on, complete college schooling and obtain submit-school education. They noted: “The extended later on-lifestyle fertility offered by this policy was responsible for a third of a year boost in 1st marriage age, a 3% enhance in university completion and an almost four% enhance in graduate school completion for college graduates.”

The statistically significant findings increase critical questions about the website link among a woman’s occupation and her willingness to delay starting a family members.

Final week Laura Wade-Gery, the female tipped to be the up coming boss of Marks &amp Spencer, exposed that she is about to have her 1st little one at 50. The revelation sparked a debate about the difficulties confronting girls in reaching a wholesome function-lifestyle balance.

To inspire females to focus on their careers, some firms are previously producing IVF and other reproductive technologies accessible as a work perk. The two Apple and Facebook offer to pay for their female staff to have their eggs frozen so that they can delay getting children.

The two economists liken this strategy to taking out an insurance policy. They evaluate the advent of IVF with that of the birth manage pill, which aided females stay away from pregnancy during their early twenties.

But now, as females continue to climb the profession ladder, the demands made on them by their jobs have intensified, creating a growing number to postpone childbearing until finally late into their 30s. “By offering people a form of insurance coverage against later on-lifestyle infertility, women who wanted to pursue a profession had been capable to do so without obtaining to fear as significantly about no matter whether this would stop them from obtaining a family,” the economists said.

The findings will be studied closely by countries looking to stick to Israel’s lead on IVF. “Our findings display that the beneficiaries of IVF and other assisted-reproduction technologies extend to young ladies who have been otherwise discouraged from creating important career investments,” the authors noted. “This is particularly pertinent as businesses consider funding for employees to freeze their eggs as nicely as other fertility-extending measures, and policy-makers contemplate the want for public funding of infertility treatments.”

Gershoni and Lower think that the use of IVF also has societal impacts past the women who use it.

Gershoni mentioned: “Through comprehensive media coverage of older ladies getting kids successfully, young women could have modified their beliefs about the probability of productive pregnancies later in existence, and therefore the value of time-consuming profession investments, this kind of as going to graduate school.”

IVF availability ‘allows women to delay obtaining babies and pursue careers’