Small study gives four patients the opportunity to interact with others again

Orange County, CA - February 8th 2017 - Locked-in syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, is defined by complete paralysis of all voluntary muscles, except those controlling eye movements. Though cognitive function is usually unaffected, the syndrome removes the ability to move, speak, chew, swallow, or breathe. It has been described as being trapped in your own body and though some dispute the mental capacity of those living with the syndrome, a study from the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva, Switzerland indicates they are able to process information adequately.

The study was undertaken by four patients in Germany who all had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with a goal of regaining a method of communicate. In the late stages of ALS, nerve cells are destroyed and the muscles progressively weaken and atrophy. All of the patients had advanced forms of the disease and were considered to be completely locked-in, with no use of their eye muscles.

A non-invasive brain-computer interface was used in order to achieve researcher and patient communication. Each patient was adorned with a cap allowing brain signal readings through near-infrared spectroscopy. A light technique that is able to measure oxygen concentrations and detect blood color. Brain activity is able to change oxygen levels in the blood, which in turn changes its color making these readings possible.

Small study gives four patients the opportunity to interact with others again

To train the computer to interpret the brain signals, scientists asked patients to answer yes or no questions they already knew the answer to. To ensure correct interpretations of the signals, questions were asked several times and enabled 75% accuracy.

Director of the Wyss Center, Professor John Donoghue, has called the research, “remarkable,” saying, "If a person who is totally locked-in is able to communicate, you're freeing the mind to interact with the world around them.”

In the case of one patient, he was able to repeatedly deny his blessing for his daughter to marry her boyfriend.

This proved Niels Birbaumer, a neuroscientist at the Wyss Center and co-leader of the study, wrong in his own assumptions. "The striking results overturn my own theory that people with complete locked-in syndrome are not capable of communication," he said.

Over the course of the study, the four patients were asked if they were happy and each time all four told researchers yes. The ability to communicate impacts individual’s quality of life significantly and researchers plan to further develop this assistive technology, hoping to one day see their innovation in hospitals everywhere.

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Small study gives four patients the opportunity to interact with others again Orange County, CA – February 8th 2017 – Locked-in syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, is defined by complete paralysis of all voluntary muscles, except those controlling eye movements. Though cognitive function is usually unaffected, the syndrome removes the ability to move, speak, chew, swallow, or […]