Researchers have discovered a way to create
artificial neural connections in order to allow stroke sufferers to regain use
of their hands in minutes, an online agency reported yesterday.
The restoration of motor function after a stroke is
typically accomplished after lengthy rehabilitation therapy. However, new
research shows that an artificial neural connection can successfully allow a
new cortical site, associated with hand movement.
This study was published by a group led by Yukio
Nishimura, the project leader of the Neural Prosthesis Project, Tokyo
Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science. In the research experimental animals
regained voluntary control of paralysed hands after around 10 minutes of the
establishment of an artificial neural connection.
The animals involved in the study engaged in
learning with a functional artificial neural connection demonstrated variable
levels of input signals provided by the cerebral cortex*2 as hand movement improved.
Through this training of various areas, the research
team successfully imparted a new ability to control paralysed hands using an
artificial neural connection. Researcher even saw this result in areas that
were not involved in hand control prior to the stroke, such as he cortex that
controls the movement of other body parts such as the face or shoulder, and
even the somatosensory cortex, which is responsible for tactile and
proprioception processing and is normally not associated with motor control.
The research conducted in this study will aid the
development of innovative therapies to help stroke patients regain lost
motor function. These finding could also result in the development of novel
techniques to further integrate human brains with computers.
The team of researchers involved in this study aim
to continue their investigation into whether the extended use of an artificial
neural connections will enhance the activity of spared neural networks and
facilitate functional recovery so that patients will be able to voluntarily
control paralysed body parts.
