Monkey moves cursor just by thinking

[David Morris]

http://www.timesofindia.com/Articleshow.asp?art_id=324530535

Monkey moves cursor just by thinking
REUTERS [ THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2002  8:40:45 PM ]

EW YORK: It may seem like science fiction, but scientists say they have 
developed a technology that enables a monkey to move a cursor on a computer 
screen simply by thinking about it.

The breakthrough could someday help totally paralyzed, 'locked-in' patients 
"operate external devices such as a robot arm, or a computer to surf the 
Internet," explained researcher Daniella Meeker of the California Institute 
of Technology in Pasadena. Meeker described her team’s findings at a recent 
meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Their work focuses on a section of the primate brain known as the posterior 
parietal cortex. Using high-tech brain scans, the researchers determined 
that small clumps of cells in this region — as few as 16 — were active in 
the formation of the desire to carry out specific body movements.


_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com