First BrainGate patient
This Tech Review feature story details the experience of the first patient using the Donoghue group’s (Brown Univ) implantable motor cortex prosthetic for computer control.
Although the author interviews a lot of people involved with the project, not too many specifics of the recording device or control algorithms are given. What is interesting is to see the disagreement from some other top PIs in the field (in particular, Nicolelis), who believe that Cyberkinetics is skipping some steps in putting this device in human trials. That is, present-day crude neural prosthetics should not be used on anyone except the most “locked-in” of patients; the patient in the BrainGate trial is apparently a quadraplegic but has full facial control.
I can’t say that I disagree. I’m not sure putting the sum of patient benefits and scientific value justify the danger. Donoghue’s purported question that he believes would only be answered by human trials (Would motor neurons work after prolonged paralysis?) seem answerable with animal models. Here’s the real question: Why didn’t they get a patient who really could benefit from this technology, ie. someone “locked-in”?