Letters.Cursor cortex "Mind over matter" (SN: 8/28/99, p. 142) reviews the state of the art in brain-computer interfacing. I am the inventor of the neurotrophic electrode and project director at Neural Signals Inc. for the effort that involves implanting this electrode into the brains of locked-in patients. I appear with Dr. Bakay and the patient JR in the photograph in the article. The article's last section addresses the concern that following paralysis, the brain's usual responses are distorted and thus would not be appropriate for communication. In our present patient, evidence suggests that the implanted brain becomes devoted to control of the cursor. We call this area the "cursor cortex." If this holds true in subsequent patients, it implies that implantation can be performed, perhaps in any part of the brain, without fear of functional loss. Philip R. Kennedy Neural Signals Inc. Atlanta, Ga. http://www.NeuralSignals.com On plants and parkinsonism "Tropical fruits linked to parkinsonism" (SN: 7/31/99, p. 69) needs a minor revision. The story refers to research that suggests a link between the so-called Guam syndrome of parkinsonlike symptoms and the consumption of sago palm sago palm cycasrevoluta. . It is not sago palm (Metroxylon sagu) but rather the superficially similar cycad cycad (sī`kăd), any plant of the order Cycadales, tropical and subtropical palmlike evergreens. The cycads, ginkgoes, and conifers comprise the three major orders of gymnosperms, or cone-bearing plants (see cone and plant). tree (Cycas circinalis) that has aroused suspicion. Sago palms are true palms. They are known in insular insular /in·su·lar/ (-sdbobr-ler) pertaining to the insula or to an island, as the islands of Langerhans. in·su·lar adj. Of or being an isolated tissue or island of tissue. Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, region of Asia (1990 est. pop. 442,500,000), c.1,740,000 sq mi (4,506,600 sq km), bounded roughly by the Indian subcontinent on the west, China on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east. but are not native to Guam. Cycad trees are not palms at all. Because they have fronds, though, they have been popularly lumped into the palm family. It is well known that cycad seeds contain a toxin that causes all kinds of neurological problems, but this toxin can be rinsed out if you have plenty of time and fresh water. Could eating inadequately rinsed cycad-seed flour have caused the rash of cases of "Guam syndrome" (known on Guam as "lytico" and "bodig")? That is the question. Mary McCutcheon George Mason University Fairfax, Va. Yes, the cycad tree is a prime suspect in Guam syndrome. We referred to it as "a sago palm" for brevity Brevity Adonis’ garden of short life. [Br. Lit.: I Henry IV] bubbles symbolic of transitoriness of life. [Art: Hall, 54] cherry fair cherry orchards where fruit was briefly sold; symbolic of transience. , but it is commonly called, and rightfully so, the "false sago palm." --N. Seppa With only 5,000 diagnosed sufferers in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , progressive supranuclear palsy Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Definition Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP; also known as Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome) is a rare disease that gradually destroys nerve cells in the parts of the brain that control eye movements, breathing, and (PSP (PlayStation Portable) See PlayStation. ) needs all the publicity it can get. But your article describes this brain disease inaccurately. It is not "a mild paralysis that causes trunk and neck rigidity" but a relentlessly progressive, poorly treatable condition leading to death, usually within 10 years, with neck rigidity and major impairments of balance, swallowing, speech, eye movement, and, eventually, intellect. We hope that recent advances in the understanding of why tau protein Tau proteins are microtubule-associated proteins that are abundant in neurons in the central nervous system and are less common elsewhere. They were discovered in 1975 in Marc Kirschner's laboratory at Princeton University et al., 1975">http://www.pnas. accumulates in degenerating brain cells in PSP may soon lead to preventative therapy. Lawrence I. Golbe Society for PSP New Brunswick, N.J. We relied on dictionary definitions of PSP, which called it "a mild form of paralysis" and included trunk rigidity in PCP's description. --N. Seppa |
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