The Wyss Center for Bio and Neoroengineering has developed communications a platform for people with complete locked-in syndrome. A 36-year-old German man in a completely locked-in state was outfitted with a novel brain-computer interface (BCI) system that relies on auditory feedback. The man learned to alter his brain activity in response to that auditory feedback […]
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Infection by SARS-CoV-2 causes a dizzying array of symptoms beyond the respiratory distress that is its most notable feature. These range from intestinal distress to blood clots to the loss of smell, and symptoms vary wildly from person to person. Figuring out exactly what the virus does inside the human body […]
New study explores how the mockingbird structures its song, using techniques of timbre change, pitch change, stretch, and squeeze. These are similar strategies used in Tuvan throat singing, Beethoven, Broadway musicals, and hip hop. What do the remarkably complex songs of the mockingbird have in common with Tuvan throat singing, Beethoven’s FIfth Symphony, the song […]
We’re well over a year into this thing. Thankfully, cases and deaths in the country are plummeting and vaccination rates are rising. Many Americans are now flying, attending sporting events, and getting back to some sort of “normal” that existed before the pandemic. For others, the effects of infection have lasted for… Read more…
Enlarge / A computer game that induces mice to experience hallucination-like events could be a key to understanding the neurobiological roots of psychosis, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. (credit: J. Kuhl) People suffering from psychotic episodes often experience both visual and aural hallucinations, due in part to […]
Enlarge (credit: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) One of the most astonishing examples of the promise of brain implants is shown in a video in which a paralyzed person controls a robotic arm with nothing but her thoughts. The technology alone is impressive, but the joy on the participant’s face as she grabs herself a drink […]
When we watch a mime seemingly pull rope, climb steps, or try to escape that infernal box, we don’t struggle to recognize the implied objects. Rather, our minds automatically “see” them, a new study concludes. The art of mime has been around in some form for millennia, although when it comes to contemporary depictions in […]
Enlarge (credit: David Aubrey) Since its advent in 2005, a technique called optogenetics has made it vastly easier to link neural activity with behavior and to understand how neurons and brain regions are connected to each other. Neuroscientists just pick the (animal) neurons they’re interested in, genetically engineer them to express a light-responsive protein, and […]
Enlarge / An artist’s schematic of the system. (credit: Nature) Elon Musk’s Neuralink has been making waves on the technology side of neural implants, but it hasn’t yet shown how we might actually use implants. For now, demonstrating the promise of implants remains in the hands of the academic community. This week, the academic community […]
Enlarge / The BrainGate research consortium has achieved the first human use of a high-bandwidth, wireless brain-computer interface, enabling tetraplegic participants in a clinical trial to use the device without being tethered by a cable. (credit: kentoh/iStock/Getty Images) Coming on the heels of the Neuralink announcement earlier this month—complete with video showing a monkey playing […]