Brain-activated Muscle Stimulation Restores Monkeys' Hand Movement after Paralysis From: NIH News - 04/18/2012 An artificial connection between the brain and muscles can restore complex hand movements in monkeys following paralysis, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. In a report in the journal Nature, researchers describe how they combined two pieces of technology to create a neuroprosthesis " a device that replaces lost or impaired nervous system function. One piece is a multi-electrode array implanted directly into the brain which serves as a brain-computer interface (BCI). The array allows researchers to detect the activity of about 100 brain cells and decipher the signals that generate arm and hand movements. The second piece is a functional electrical stimulation (FES) device that delivers electrical current to the paralyzed muscles, causing them to contract. The brain array activates the FES device directly, bypassing the spinal cord to allow intentional, brain-controlled muscle contractions and restore movement. Read the entire article at: http://www.nih.gov/news/health/apr2012/ninds-18.htm Links: New Brain-Machine Interface Moves a Paralyzed Hand http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2012/04/miller-paralyzed-technology.html Scientists Restore Movement to Paralyzed Limbs through Artificial Brain-Muscle Connections http://www.ninds.nih.gov/news_and_events/news_articles/pressrelease_brain_fes.htm Northwestern's Limb Motor Control Lab http://www.physiology.northwestern.edu/secondlevel/miller/hp.html Study Tests Artificial Brain-Muscle Connection in Temporarily Paralyzed Subjects http://www.rehabpub.com/RMN/2012-04-23_07.asp Brain-Machine Interface Delivers Signals to Move Paralyzed Hand http://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/13535 Brain Implants Help Paralyzed Monkeys Get a Grip http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/04/brain-implants-help-paralyzed.html New Brain-Machine Interface Could One Day Help Paralyzed Individuals http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/2012/05/miller-brain-machine-interface.html