Cyberkinetics' BrainGate Neural Interface System Translates Human Neural Activity into Computer Control.SAN DIEGO San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , Calif. & FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- - Preliminary Scientific Observations from Pilot Study Presented at Society for Neuroscience For other uses, see SFN (disambiguation). The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a professional society for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system. Meeting - Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc. (OTCBB OTCBB See OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB). :CYKN) (Cyberkinetics) announced that additional findings of the BrainGate(TM) Neural Interface System pilot clinical study were presented yesterday at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, California “San Diego” redirects here. For other uses, see San Diego (disambiguation). San Diego is a coastal Southern California city located in the southwestern corner of the continental United States. As of 2006, the city has a population of 1,256,951. . The presentation included a discussion of the scientific, mathematical and practical observations that lead to the first demonstration of a person with quadriplegia quadriplegia: see paraplegia. using thoughts and the BrainGate System to control a computer, environmental controls and a robotic limb. The ultimate goal of the BrainGate development program is to create a safe, effective and unobtrusive universal operating system operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. which will allow physically disabled people to quickly and reliably use their thoughts to control a wide range of devices, including computers, assistive technologies and medical devices. "These preliminary observations provide important evidence to support the scientific underpinnings of the BrainGate approach" said John Donoghue This article is about John Donoghue, Australian Pioneer Settler. For John Donoghue, Brown University Neuroscience Dept. Chair, see John Donoghue (disambiguation). : John Donoghue , Ph.D. Chief Scientific Officer of Cyberkinetics and Chairman of the Department of Neuroscience and Director of the Brain Science Program at Brown University. "The results reinforce that a small sensor in the motor cortex motor cortex n. The region of the cerebral cortex influencing movements of the face, neck and trunk, and arm and leg. Also called excitable area, motor area, Rolando's area. can allow signals associated with arm movement to be used as a computer interface. This may mean that we can create a useful, thought-controllable operating system for people with disabilities to interact with the world around them." Summary of Preliminary Results The poster entitled, "The BrainGate Pilot Trial: Building and Testing a Novel Direct Neural Output for Patients with Severe Motor Impairment," includes a preliminary case report from one patient with a three-year-old spinal cord injury Spinal Cord Injury Definition Spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that causes loss of sensation and motor control. Description Approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injuries (SCIs) occur each year in the United States. . The reported results were recorded over a two-month period in approximately 20 study sessions. Importantly, the results presented demonstrate (1) that neural (brain) activity can be detected, transmitted and analyzed by the BrainGate System; (2) that an individual with a spinal cord injury can use intended movement of a limb to control this brain activity, even years after the affected limb has last moved under that individual's own control; (3) that this brain activity is "tuned" to intended limb activity that the individual can control in a meaningful way; and (4) that mathematics to turn this controlled brain activity into a useful computer control interface are relatively straightforward. The first study patient was able to modulate neural output in a controllable and meaningful fashion. A simple computer 'desktop' interface was successfully navigated using only the patient's thoughts, thus enabling the patient to perform tasks and operate basic computer functions repeatedly. The patient's control of the computer was immediate and intuitive, and the patient was able to perform multiple tasks at the same time, without disruption. For example, in early research sessions the patient was able to control his TV using the BrainGate System, while simultaneously conversing with others. About the BrainGate Pilot Study The BrainGate System is being evaluated by Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc. in an ongoing pilot study under an Investigational Device Exemption An Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) allows the investigational device to be used in a clinical study in order to collect safety and effectiveness data required to support a Premarket Approval (PMA) application or a Premarket Notification [510(k)] submission to Food and from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The pilot (feasibility) study will enroll up to five individuals with quadriplegia (unable to use their arms and legs) who are between the ages of 18 and 60 and who meet the study's selection criteria, which include that the patient be able to verbally communicate. The two primary goals of the pilot clinical study are to characterize the safety profile of the device and to evaluate the quality, type, and usefulness of neural output control that patients can achieve using thoughts. Initial clinical results of the BrainGate Neural Interface System pilot study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physical medicine and rehabilitation or physiatry or physical therapy or rehabilitation medicine Medical specialty treating chronic disabilities through physical means to help patients return to a comfortable, productive life despite a medical in Phoenix, Arizona on October 8, 2004. About the BrainGate System Cyberkinetics' BrainGate development program is the culmination of over 10 years of research which began in the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University with company founders including John Donoghue, Ph.D., and Nicholas Hatsopoulos, Ph.D., who is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago. The BrainGate Neural Interface System is a proprietary, investigational brain-computer interface that consists of an internal neural signal sensor and external processors that convert neural signals into an output signal under the person's own control. The sensor consists of a tiny chip about the size of a baby aspirin baby aspirin Therapeutics A popular term for a formulation that contains 81 or less mg of aspirin, used to ↓ blood coagulability. See Aspirin. , with one hundred electrode sensors each thinner than a hair that detect brain cell electrical activity. The sensor is implanted on the surface of the area of the brain responsible for movement, the primary motor cortex The primary motor cortex (or M1) works in association with pre-motor areas to plan and execute movements. M1 contains large neurons known as Betz cells which send long axons down the spinal cord to synapse onto alpha motor neurons which connect to the muscles. . The sensor is connected by a small wire to a pedestal which is mounted on the skull, extending through the scalp. The pedestal is in turn connected by a cable to a cart containing computers, signal processors and monitors which enable the study operators to determine how well a study participant can control his neural output. The ultimate goal of the BrainGate development program is to create a safe, effective and unobtrusive universal operating system which will allow physically disabled people to quickly and reliably control a wide range of devices using their thoughts, including computers, assistive technologies and medical devices. About Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc. Cyberkinetics, a leader in neurotechnology, an emerging field driven by advances in neuroscience, computer science, and engineering, is focused on treating diseases and disorders of the nervous system. Cyberkinetics' first product, BrainGate(TM) Neural Interface System, is designed to give severely paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. individuals a long-term, direct brain-computer interface for the purpose of communication and control of a computer and other devices. Patients are currently being enrolled into a pilot clinical trial to test its safety and effectiveness. Cyberkinetics' intellectual property features key technologies licensed from Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at Cambridge; coeducational; chartered 1861, opened 1865 in Boston, moved 1916. It has long been recognized as an outstanding technological institute and its Sloan School of Management has notable programs in business, , Emory University, and the University of Utah The University of Utah (also The U or the U of U or the UU), located in Salt Lake City, is the flagship public research university in the state of Utah, and one of 10 institutions that make up the Utah System of Higher Education. . Cyberkinetics is headquartered in Foxborough, Massachusetts and conducts engineering and research in Salt Lake City, Utah For ships of the United States Navy of the same name, see . Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake, or its initials, S.L.C. . More information is available at www.cyberkineticsinc.com. For specific information about the BrainGate clinical trial please send an email to braingateinfo@cktrial.com. Forward Looking Safe Harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. Statement: This press release contains forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements and forecasts involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the near future. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially. For a discussion of those risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Pilot Study Information: If you are interested in information about the BrainGate pilot study please contact: Jon Mukand, M.D., Ph.D. (401) 886-6600 |
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