Robert Romano                                                                               214 words

10/17/16

The Impossible Made Possible

It is well-known and scary to know that when one’s spine is sever all function from that point and down the body will be lost forever. This statement fortunately may no longer be true. Nathan Copeland is a victim of paralysis and is now the first paralyzed person to ever gain a limited sense of touch. He has gained some of this crucial sense back because an electrical implant has been surgically placed into his brain and this allows him to feel pressure-like sensations through the use of a robotic arm. This discovery has had such a great impact that Dustin Tyler states “a significant and crucial advance and a step towards restoring sensation in people with paralysis.” The discovery is highly promising, but there are currently some limitations because Copeland cannot feel: movement, temperature, or pain with the robotic arm. Scientists say that this obstacle may be able to be overcome by using implants that contain a much more significant number of electrodes. Paralysis victims are now being given the chance to have a limited sense of touch when at one point this thought was viewed as impossible. It will be very interesting to see what will be discovered next to better the lives of paralysis victims.

http://www.nature.com/news/pioneering-brain-implant-restores-paralysed-man-s-sense-of-touch-1.20804