Mind controlled device stroke patients may help paralyzing the arms

New York, May 27: US researchers have developed a brain control device that reads the brain signals that make them motion and help stroke patients move their brains to their paralysis. Stroke is the second major cause of disability after the dementia in the world. About six million people are dead and another five million people are permanently retained. The study showed that stroke patients who learned to use their minds to open and close the device fitted over their paralysed hands gained some control over their hands.
By mentally controlling the device with the help of a brain-computer interface, participants trained the uninjured parts of their brains to take over functions previously performed by injured areas of the brain, the researchers said. "We have shown that a brain-computer interface using the uninjured hemisphere can achieve meaningful recovery in chronic stroke patients," said Eric Leuthardt, Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. The device -- Ipsihand -- comprises a cap that contains electrodes to detect electrical signals in the brain, a computer that amplifies the signals, and a movable brace that fits over the paralysed hand. 
The device detects the wearer's intention to open or close the paralysed hand, and moves the hand in a pincer-like grip, with the second and third fingers bending to meet the thumb. For the study, published in the journal Stroke, the team recruited 10 moderately to severely impaired stroke patients and trained them to use the device at home. Participants participated in the examination of standard motor skills, measured their ability to capture, capture and pinch and make bigger moves with their hands. After 12 weeks of using the device, patients' scores averaged 6.2 points on a 57-point scale, researchers said.