Quadriplegia, or total immobility and sensation in all four limbs, is a crushing disability affecting the lives of over 100,000 people in the United States. This is the result of a spinal cord injury, caused either physically such as with a sports injury or fall, or by disease including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Although there are some devices on the market that help quadriplegics with certain tasks like controlling their own wheelchair, for the most part they are dependent on family, friends, and health care professionals to help with almost all of their everyday needs.

The concept is simple. For example, if you wiggle your toes what you are really doing is thinking about wiggling your toes. Those brain impulses are sent through nerves out of the brain and down the spinal cord until they reach the toes, telling them to wiggle. Quadriplegics cannot move their arms or legs because the signals from the brain are not reaching the limbs. But the brainwaves still exist, transmitted from a certain portion of the brain located above the right ear called the motor cortex.

One company called Cyberkinetics is currently conducting clinical trials to “record” these brainwaves, and “translate” them through a special computer. Called the BrainGate Neural Interface System, a tiny chip the size of a baby aspirin is implanted onto the motor cortex, and is connected to the computer by wires. One patient has been able to turn on a tv, adjust the volume, and even move a prosthetic hand just by thinking about it.

“We are extremely excited to report that preliminary observations… confirm that the BrainGate System can detect neural activity in the motor cortex and that this activity can be modulated by a person with a spinal cord injury,” said John Donoghue, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Cyberkinetics.

The obvious drawback is that it requires major invasive surgery, cutting through the skull and implanting a foreign object onto brain tissue. Other less invasive methods such as an electrode similar to that used with an EEG are also in development by other companies, but have not yet had the same amazing results. Cyberkinetics itself is already developing a wireless version.

Eventually, all researchers in the field hope to get to the point where quadriplegics will be able to regain control of their own limbs.

If you or a loved one has experienced a spinal cord injury resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia, contact Jim S. Adler & Associates. Even the most basic of technology, treatment, and equipment could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. Get the best care possible for today and tomorrow by getting the compensation you deserve. Call Jim S. Adler & Associates directly or click on the link on this page for a free case review.