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【科普】美国科学家首创将思想植入猴脑
The research is part of a project aimed at helping paralysed people to walk again by linking the brain to movement sensors that generate data about gait and speed.
The breakthrough, if confirmed, could have wider implications, eventually allowing humans to control computers and machines by thought alone, perhaps even communicate with each other.
"We have succeeded in conveying direct signals into a monkey's cerebral cortex, letting the animal know that the 'treat' of a food pellet was in a particular box rather than another," said Miguel Nicolelis, professor of neuroscience at Duke University, North Carolina, where he runs a centre for neuro-engineering.
The breakthrough is the latest of several from the Walk Again Project, in which US, Swiss and Brazilian researchers are developing a powered exoskeleton (an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body) that would move the arms and legs of people with paralysis, allowing them to walk.
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The key missing element is a brain-machine interface, which allows users to control their movements by thought alone.
Professor Nicolelis and his colleagues said they were still far from achieving this, but have had some triumphs.
In one experiment, which has been peer-reviewed and published, a monkey named Aurora learned how to control a computer cursor via electrodes inserted in her brain. This research was extended to patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, who also proved able to control the computer cursor.
In a later experiment, a monkey with electrodes implanted in its brain learned how to transmit mental signals thousands of kilometres over the internet to control the leg movements of a robot in Japan.
However, the subjects were sending out signals rather than receiving them.
"When you walk, vision is not enough to control your body; you need sensory data about gait and speed, too," Professor Nicolelis said. "It means that if paralysed people are to learn how to control these exoskeleton suits, the signals have to flow both ways, into the brain as well as out."
The Sunday Times 美国科学家首次成功将思想植入猴子的脑袋，让猴子“学懂”解读人类讯息。若技术发展成熟，将来四肢瘫痪者可运用意念自如控制机械骨骼，人与人之间更可以意念沟通。
研究由北卡罗来纳州的杜克大学进行，属“Walk Again”(再次步行)计划的一部分，目的是帮助瘫痪者重新步行。科学家在猴子的头骨钻了一些小孔并植入微芯片，每片芯片包括约700个如发丝般细的电极。这些芯片穿入猴子脑部表面数毫米，用来记录讯息和输入数据到猴子的大脑皮层。
成功分辨包含食物盒子
结果科学家成功让猴子“学懂”解读这些讯息，过程更十分迅速。科学家准备了2个盒子，其中一个包含食物。猴子通过讯息知道食物所在。该实验尚未正式发表，若获证实，相信是首次成功将电子讯息传送到灵长目动物脑内的实验。
负责该项目的科学家，较早前成功让猴子以至帕金森病患者，通过植入脑中的电极传出讯息，从而控制计算机屏幕上的游标；又曾让一只猴子以大脑讯息，在因特网控制千里之外的一个机械人行走。
讯息双向流动 学习数月
然而科学家指出，要真正让四肢瘫痪的病人自如控制机械骨骼，讯息的流动必须双向，使病人感受到步法和行走速度等“感官讯息”。将讯息直接传送到大脑皮层正是关键一步。
负责研究的科学家尼科利斯指出，相关技术还须提升，将每个芯片包含的微电极数量由数百增至数千。到时病人只需花数月熟习，机械骨骼便会和病人身心相连，恍如身体一部分。
相关技术还可有更广泛用途。尼科利斯预计，将来人类可通过大脑讯息，直接和个人计算机的操作系统及软件交互交流，不用鼠标和键盘便可开启程序和在计算机撰写笔记。相关技术将来更可发展为“大脑网络”(brain net)，让人类以大脑讯息直接沟通。现时英特尔、Google(谷歌)和微软皆已成立“脑袋机械”部，进行相关研究。 滚动_新闻中心_新浪网2004年8月7日... 扎卡维组织在网络上公布恐怖录像 美国人质被斩首 联通双模服务世界首创 已... 省招办主任细答高考考生热点问题 解放思想实事求是树立和落实科学发展观 农...news.sina.com.cn/...0807.shtml-2004-08-07-快照-新闻中心-新闻频道2004年7月26日... 理顺思想摆正位置扬长避短 命运把握在女排手中 伊索镌刻寓言致中国运动队:... 美宇航局将在瑞典进行大规模气球科学实验 美国一婴儿将被植入德国生产的微...news.sohu.com/...3746642.shtml-2004-07-26-快照-中科院沈阳分院科研成果跟踪OPC最新技术动态,提供全方位的OPC开发工具 提供OPC技术咨询与培训 这个产品... 成果内容、水平: 中国科学院金属研究所在60年代继美国之后率先将精密铸造技术应用于...www.chinesebaojian.com/...665/-2009-12-15-快照-[标签:content2]
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2011-01-25 12:39
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