Secrets of Human Speech Uncovered
A new study has uncovered the neurological basis of speech motor control, the complex coordinated activity of tiny brain regions that controls our lips, jaw, tongue and larynx as we speak.
Neuroprosthesis Gives Rats the Ability to ‘Touch’ Infrared Light
Researchers have given rats the ability to “touch” infrared light by fitting them with an infrared detector wired to microscopic electrodes implanted in the part of the mammalian brain that processes tactile information. The study demonstrated that a novel sensory input could be processed by a cortical region specialized in another sense without “hijacking” the function of this brain area.
Researchers Describe Technology that Lets Spinal Cord Injured Man Control Robot Arm with Thoughts
Researchers describe how an electrode array sitting on top of the brain enabled a 30-year-old paralyzed man to control the movement of a character on a computer screen in three dimensions with just his thoughts. It also enabled him to move a robot arm to touch a friend’s hand for the first time in the seven years.
Brainwave Training Boosts Network for Cognitive Control and Predicts Mind Wandering
Using several neuroimaging methods, a team of researchers working at the University of Western Ontario have now uncovered that functional changes within a key brain network occur directly after a 30-minute session of noninvasive, neural-based training.
Controlling Your Computer With Your Eyes
Millions of people suffering from multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries or amputees could soon interact with their computers and surroundings using just their eyes, thanks to a new device that costs less than £40 (~$63).
Paralyzed Individuals Use Thought Controlled Robotic Arm to Reach and Grasp
NIH-funded study shows progress in brain-computer interface technology. In an ongoing clinical trial, a paralyzed woman was able to reach for and sip from a drink on her own – for the first time in nearly 15 years – by using her thoughts to direct a robotic arm. The trial, funded in part by the [...]
Mini-sensor Measures Magnetic Activity in Human Brain
A miniature atom-based magnetic sensor developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has passed an important research milestone by successfully measuring human brain activity. Experiments reported this week in Biomedical Optics Express verify the sensor’s potential for biomedical applications such as studying mental processes and advancing the understanding of neurological diseases. NIST [...]
Scientists Boost Memory by Stimulating Key Site in Brain
Mechanism holds potential for improving recall in dementia patients. Have you ever gone to the movies and forgotten where you parked the car? New UCLA research may one day help you improve your memory. UCLA neuroscientists have demonstrated that they can strengthen memory in human patients by stimulating a critical junction in the brain. Published [...]
Researchers Aim for Direct Brain Control of Prosthetic Arms
Engineers work to design prosthetic arm that allows amputees to feel what they touch. Engineering researchers at four U.S. universities are embarking on a four-year project to design a prosthetic arm that amputees can control directly with their brains and that will allow them to feel what they touch. While it may sound like science [...]
Technique for Letting Brain Talk to Computers Now Tunes in Speech
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have adapted brain-computer interfaces to listen to regions of the brain that control speech.
