Scientists claim to have been able to communicate with a man with locked-in syndrome using a brain implant.
Hope could be provided for patients in that state. The author of the study has a questionable track record.
The brain implant was able to read the brain waves of a man who is completely paralyzed and has lost the ability to move his eyes.
He wasn't named in the study from the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering.
It was published in a journal.
The man learned how to write sentences during his training.
He spelled out a rough spelling in German which the scientists translated to mean "I would like to listen to the album by Tool loud." The band is called Tool.
The study authors say that a gastrointestinal tube would have to be used to deliver the beer.
He spelled his son's name "I love my cool son" on day 251.
The man was first diagnosed with the disease in August of 2015.
He lost his ability to speak and walk by the end of 2015.
According to the study, he has been in home care and machines have fed him.
He was able to communicate with his wife and child by moving his eyes, but lost this ability in 2019.
Two of the study authors, Niel Birbaumer, a now-retired neuroscientist, and Ujwal Chaudhary, a bioengineer, have done this before, according to The New York Times.
The authors have previously published research claiming to be able to communicate with patients with locked-in syndrome, but both papers were eventually withdrawn because of a mistake that makes the paper invalid.
An investigation conducted by the German Research Foundation, which funded some of the work, found several cases of scientific misconduct from the two doctors, including that they only partially recorded the exams of their patients.
According to Nature News, the DFG imposed severe sanctions on Birbaumer, banning him from applying for grants and serving as an evaluator for five years.
The two men have stood by their research.
The result of the lawsuit against the DFG will be published in the coming weeks, according to the Times.
A DFG spokesman told The Times that the body wants to investigate the latest research by Birbaumer as well.
Some experts who were not involved in the study don't think it's significant.
The Dutch University of Twente's Femke Nijboer said that the finding was important.
It shows that people with locked-in syndrome can communicate.
Steven Laureys, a neurologist at the University of Li, said that it was a game-changer. The Times reported that the study could have ethical implications for patients in locked-in states.
Brendan Allison, a researcher at the University of California San Diego, said the study should be taken with a large amount of salt because of its history.
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