Healthcare
Feinstein Institute for Medical Research Restores Movement to Paralyzed Man Using AI
Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
45-year-old Keith Thomas was able to move his arms for the first time since his accident in 2020 that left him paralyzed from the chest down. A new clinical study carried out by the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research successfully implanted microchips in Thomas’s brain, reconnecting his body with his spinal cord. Thanks to advances in AI technology, the algorithms in Thomas’s implants allow him to feel sensations again, and with each time he feels, there is a strengthening of electrical connections that seem to be showing a reversal in much of the damage done by his injury.
In July 2020, Keith Thomas suffered significant trauma to his spine after surviving a devastating pool diving accident. The ordeal left him feeling hopeless. In his own words, Thomas says “I didn’t know if I was even going to live, or if I wanted to.”
Hope came to Thomas in the form of a double neural bypass surgery. A procedure of this kind uses technology to bypass the body’s inability to communicate with the brain by using AI algorithms to re-create the connection that was lost between the brain and the body due to injury.
“This is the first time the brain, body and spinal cord have been linked together electronically in a paralyzed human to restore lasting movement and sensation,” says Chad Bouten, professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.
A team of researchers, engineers, and doctors at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research began mapping portions of Thomas’s brain and prepping him for the 15-hour surgery. Dr. Mehta, the surgeon performing the operation, recalls that they “inserted two chips in the area responsible for movement and three more in the part of the brain responsible for touch and feeling in the fingers.”
After the procedure, Thomas began therapy to restore movement to his arms. His implants are connected to a computer which reads his thoughts using AI algorithms. These algorithms interpret Thomas’s thoughts and translate them to electrodes on his spine that stimulate movement in his muscles.
The procedure was an incredible success; restoring both sensation and movement to the paralyzed parts of the body. The implants contain sensors that relay information directly to his brain, restoring sensation in his fingertips. After not having felt anything with his hands in 3 years, Thomas has recovered over 100% of his arm strength, and can feel the touch of his loved ones once again; a sensation he described as “overwhelming.”
What’s most incredible of all is the procedure’s ability to potentially reverse the damage done by his injury. Thomas is beginning to feel sensations outside the area of treatment such as his forearms and wrist. Miraculously, this occurs even when the machines are turned off, meaning that by using chips to kickstart the connection between the body and the brain, both the body and the brain seem to be developing an understanding of how to once again connect with each other without any outside help.
The hopelessness Thomas felt at this life-altering event is now gone. His despair has been replaced by a tremendous feeling of optimism for the future applications of this technology. When asked how he felt about being part of such an experimental treatment, Thomas replied “If this can help someone even more than it’s helped me somewhere down the line, it’s all worth it.”
IC INSPIRATION
The work done by the Feinstein Institute was made possible by pioneers in the field of bioelectric medicine. The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research aims to bypass the need for pharmaceuticals by manipulating the vagus nervous system directly using electrodes.
The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research has shown that the cause of many diseases is inflammation. Since the electrical signals in our body’s nervous system are the mechanism that prompts an inflammatory response, controlling the nervous system using electrodes is a way of anticipating any potential disease before it gets worse.
Bioelectrical medicine may not be able to prevent disease, but it will undoubtedly be able to increase our ability to treat, or maybe even cure it. Using the body’s own electrical pathways to target specific areas of the body affected by a disease eliminates the need for many conventional drugs with potentially harmful side effects.
The advances made by the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research will become even more effective when integrated with the exponential growth of artificial intelligence. Even more motivational would be our ability to program next-gen wearables like the Humane AI Pin to begin monitoring our body’s level of inflammation, and providing us with accurate recommendations. Additionally, recent discoveries like the DART system might make it possible to prevent disease altogether by manipulating the genes responsible for inflammation.
Until then, many paralysis patients will begin to move and feel again thanks to the efforts of people like Chad Bouten, and the success of Thomas’s procedure. Their recovery will make for many more inspirational stories to come.