The Electric Brain

[00:06] When we move our arm, that controls it, moving in and out of nerve cells.

[00:19] we could also use electricity to record or bypass it entirely, That means that we could use our minds

[00:33] restore movement to people who are paralyzed, and even read people's minds. [theme music playing]

[01:07] until the 1800s, ancient Roman times, wrote about a man

[01:21] and was suddenly relieved of gout pain. and found that you could put an electric fish on your head and relieve headaches.

[01:35] Italian physicist Giovanni Aldini with electricity. to animate the corpse

[01:49] The corpse opened its eyes But Aldini wasn't just trying to shock people. our thoughts and our movements,

[02:05] [buzzing]

[02:17] so as to control their body. through nerves.

[02:29] we could control a person's body We could control them with a remote control, with cockroaches.

[02:49] and, Tim, you brought some cockroaches. to sense their environment and move around, and control its movement

[03:02] We are going to do a surgery on the cockroach to send electrical impulses to their antenna. -[Tim] Let's do it. -[Michael] I've brought with me

[03:16] Now, how do you do surgery on a cockroach? we are going to put the cockroaches will stop firing electrical impulses.

[03:30] [Michael] Once the roaches were anesthetized, is attach the electrodes. and it has a wire for the left antenna

[03:43] I'm going to put a little bead of Superglue and then I'm just gonna stick the electrode [Michael] Next, we inserted the ground wire

[03:56] [Tim] I put the wire in the back. [Tim] Now I'm just gonna snip the antenna ...we can stick the wire in.

[04:11] is I'm just gonna insert it into the antenna. [Tim] And he's ready for the left antenna. I'll put the cockroach

[04:23] Now it's worth pointing out what this does to them I'm gonna take them back to their homes, [Michael] And the antenna will grow back?

[04:36] and they'll live happy cockroach lives -So now we're ready to go. -[Michael] Wonderful. for external control.

[04:50] roach racetrack. for a test drive. moves around and uses its antenna.

[05:03] All right, and then, oh wow. You can see he keeps tapping the wall and moving along. As we know, roaches use their antennas

[05:18] and locate food and shelter. the roaches felt free [Michael] follow the rules.

[05:31] our robo-roach. [Tim] And I'm just gonna plug them in right now. [Tim] Yes, because we are talking to the nerves

[05:44] [Michael] Tim has built an app the electrode sends a signal stimulating the sensation of an obstacle

[05:57] to move right and vice versa. Left. Whoa. [Michael] We adjusted the intensity of the signal

[06:12] All right, now, I'm gonna try to get him to turn right, -[Tim] Okay, very good. -[Michael] Good job. so I'm gonna have to tell him to kind of keep going

[06:26] -[Michael] Yeah, good, come here. -All right, where is he? but I would rather he go to work [Michael] I'm gonna swipe left.

[06:39] -[Tim] Very good. -[Michael] Now right. -[Michael] All right, watch this. And turn right. -[Tim] Okay. -[Michael] Turn right, oh. -[Tim] Oh, you see

[06:51] their autonomous control of their body. they should decide to move one way or the other. that we're on the slippery slope

[07:05] with my electrical stimulation, but you can see that is receiving, that we're competing with. -a little bit weird. -[Tim] Uh-huh.

[07:18] -Uh-huh. -But there's something here [Tim] Sure, we use this technology in biomedical applications, such as cochlear implants,

[07:32] But things such as consciousness and attention of neuroscience research. neuroscience is that it's wide open.

[07:54] cyber cockroaches could actually save lives. and North Carolina State University for robo-roaches in search and rescue missions.

[08:09] in the roach's antennae, in the bug's actual nervous systems The plan is to release a swarm of robo-roaches

[08:22] As the roaches explore, which creates a detailed 3D map If the cyber-bugs stray from the search area,

[08:36] If a roach detects a survivor, with the victim's location. scientists hope to do so

[08:50] Meanwhile, the same technology can also be used on humans.

[09:04] Now, Tim, when I move my arm, to my muscles and they respond to that, But you are about to use a battery

[09:17] Sure, sure. with no surgery required. which communicated via Bluetooth

[09:30] of your muscle activity. the muscle fires an electrical impulse So what I want you to do

[09:44] -occurring in your... -Watch this. -[Michael] Many, many. -firing action potentials Let me passively move your hand.

[09:59] but now resist me. because it's due to contraction. voluntary movements with your brain,

[10:12] and use it to control robotics. but the real reason I invited you here today I want to control another human. Alie?

[10:25] So, Alie, you might be a little apprehensive now This is for science, and it's gonna go both ways. Okay. Wait, I'm going first, though?

[10:39] -For... -For randomization. that no one saw, but it happened. was brave enough to let me test

[10:52] in this case my brain sending signals so she can't see when I make a move

[11:04] All right, let's do it. So, Michael. -Okay, here we go. -All right. -a little bit, okay? -[Alie] Okay, yeah.

[11:18] [Tim] Okay. You're at two. I'm gonna turn up to four, okay? Ah! -[Tim] Contract. -Oh, that's really weird.

[11:32] Oh, that's-- I'd-- I'm still not over that. and there's just strings being tugged. that I give Alie a turn at the controls.

[11:46] control my movements. I thought it would be nice to maybe enjoy some hot, I might even do some writing, [scoffs] multitasking.

[12:02] So, um, can we try out the strength, So, I'll put it really low at a two. All right.

[12:14] -I felt... -Okay. Did you feel that? Okay. -You ready? -Yup.

[12:27] Wow. that's not me moving my arm. so you're gonna get a lot more out of me.

[12:40] don't control me [Alie chuckles] [Michael] Okay, I'm just gonna take a nice little,

[12:55] uh, taste of this soup. The meanest part is that this is very lukewarm soup.

[13:07] All right. Now, just let me please eat in peace. I'll leave you alone, I'll leave you alone. Okay.

[13:21] I'm try-- I can resist it, but... to adapt to the signal. To science.

[13:35] That's the beauty of electrophysiology. means that we can also record from them,

[13:51] The electroencephalogram, or EEG, allowing doctors to see some of the brain's But by the 1980s,

[14:05] like the dream of allowing paralyzed patients you need a much richer brain signal. You need information for how to move your upper arm,

[14:18] your fingers, all through 3D space. since the electrical signals it picks up through our skull and skin.

[14:30] with just your mind, researchers realized you'd need to record directly from the brain. They implanted an electrode

[14:44] And since that first test patient, that allow them to control robotic arms As our understanding of the brain grows

[14:59] these patients are gaining finer and finer control Recently, science has taken a big leap forward

[15:11] to control robotic limbs I traveled to Ohio State University At 19, while vacationing with friends,

[15:27] and broke his neck on the sandy floor, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. And I was floating face-down in the water

[15:40] You go from being 19 and independent, I need help doing everything sitting up, getting into my wheelchair.

[15:55] to move my arms a little bit, [Michael] The doctors at Ohio State had approached developed by Battelle,

[16:08] called NeuroLife. in Ian's motor cortex, while he was connected to a computer in the lab.

[16:21] at Ohio State University to meet the researchers [Sam] So first we're gonna plug Ian into the system. -[Michael] Yeah. -[Ian] ...reference, that's the pedestal.

[16:37] um, but it's there 24/7 and it leads to some wires that's on the surface of my brain. [Ian] Exactly.

[16:51] and electrical impulses of his brain It sits on the surface of his brain. that reads and analyzes

[17:06] at Ian's motor cortex. So if you think about moving your arm, -or a different pattern? -[Ian] Yeah.

[17:19] in order to calibrate the decoder with his brain, moving his hand by watching images [Ian] You'll see my computer prompt me

[17:32] that's what I'm thinking about. [Ian] Just as much as I can think about As Ian's brain thinks about moving his hand...

[17:45] [Michael] ...its electrical signals and sent to the decoder. and we associate it with a hand closed.

[17:57] if he's thinking that same thing again. to a device that can control This special sleeve on Ian's arm

[18:10] which stimulate the muscles in his forearm that his brain is thinking about, Now it was time to see Ian move his paralyzed hand

[18:26] [Sam] So, Ian, if you're ready for this next one... Three, two, one.

[18:40] [Marcie] So, that was the decoder. [Marcie] Ian was in control of the movements. Already, Ian's achievements

[18:54] With the help of this cutting-edge technology, to do a number of fine motor tasks to playing Guitar Hero.

[19:08] Currently in the world, [Michael] Ian continues to gain more independence Do people ever drive with you

[19:23] well, clearly this is dangerous." I have no use of my hands But they've-- they have nothing to worry about.

[19:37] because I can't take my hands off the wheel You're not fiddling with the radio and... [Michael] Ian's progress was truly inspiring,

[19:50] What are your hopes for the future for yourself? to the next version and, you know, and be able to do things a lot easier.

[20:05] that people just use. right where they left off. is something that has never been done before

[20:20] and it's really exciting to be on that cutting edge. but what about feeling,

[20:35] We feel with our skin because of signals By putting sensors in robotic fingers researchers at the University of Pittsburgh

[20:50] to feel through a robotic hand. to receive two implants, and a second implant

[21:05] This second implant and the pattern of stimulation depends So, if you touch the robot on a specific finger,

[21:18] that normally responds to that finger [Nathan] Pinky. [Michael] His brain interprets that as touch.

[21:33] have been aided by their ability But what can be done for people but also unable to speak?

[21:47] 57-year-old computer programmer dating Laurie, But that all changed a year ago leaving him in a vegetative state,

[22:01] Doctors initially declared Steve brain dead. but unable to tell them so. that Steve's eye movements were intentional

[22:16] a condition which robs people of everything While a normal brain receives electrical signals the stroke prevented the electrical signals

[22:31] Over the last year, Steve has regained some very minor I sat down with Steve and his now-wife Laurie

[22:45] Steve, Laurie, hello. thanks to new scientific developments, using a computer.

[22:58] And nice to meet you, Laurie. Tell me how Steve started being able to communicate. when they explained what it was,

[23:13] he would blink once for yes and twice for no. And then they gave us a board, when I got to what he wanted.

[23:28] [Michael] As you could imagine, was a slow and painstaking process. an engineer working to help

[23:42] that tracks his eye movements. the machine translates where he's looking [computer male voice] I want to recover.

[23:56] in communication as Steve scans and significantly faster.

[24:10] [Michael] Yeah. You can write with your eyes. He can email, he can text, [Michael] It does wonders, yes.

[24:23] to you to be able to look and write a thing, And, Laurie, for you to hear especially for the first time

[24:37] What was the first thing you said, Steve? [laughter]

[24:51] [Michael] Steve's progress is remarkable, the connection between his new ability to communicate he's made physically over the last year.

[25:06] -Look down at your thumbs. -[clears throat] [Michael] Laurie and Steve hope that one day from locked-in syndrome.

[25:26] and so is his brain. But some locked-in patients They have what is known

[25:40] For these patients, the eye-tracking technology But researchers in Europe recently found a way to communicate using just their thoughts.

[25:57] with near-infrared spectroscopy, measure blood flow in the brain. that the researchers knew the answers to,

[26:10] which brain signals meant yes The researchers then asked the patients and using just their thoughts,

[26:24] the correct answers to 70% of the questions. may be limited, All of this happened just this year.

[26:37] thanks to the devotion and effort of researchers chipping away at the mysteries of the mind.

[26:49] the millions of people who struggle to do or neurological conditions, and ultimately the better we'll understand ourselves.

[27:03] thanks for watching. [theme music playing]