[영어독해] Brain Implants Help Paralyzed Man Communicate Again

[기사 요약]

뇌 이식으로 전신마비 환자 의사소통 가능

전신 마비 환자, 뇌 이식 덕분에 의사소통이 가능해졌다.
이 남성은 2015년 근위축성 측색 경화증 진단을 받았다. 이 질병은 근육 조절 능력을 잃게 만든다. 이 질병이 오랜 기간 지속되면 말하고, 먹고, 움직이고 숨 쉬는 능력까지 잃을 수도 있다.
2017년 이 환자는 마비되어 마지막 남은 위사소통 수단이었던 눈동자 움직임 능력까지 잃어가고 있었다. 그가 마지막 의사소통 능력을 상실하기 전 뇌 이식 임상 시험에 참가하겠다고 동의하였다.
2019년 의사는 남성의 운동 대뇌 피질(신체 움직임을 통제하는 뇌의 일부분)에 두개의 작은 전극을 이식했다.
이 두개의 전극은 두뇌 활동 신호를 감지해서 이 신호를 오르내리는 소리로 변환해주는 소프트웨어로 보낸다. 남성은 이 소리를 듣고 높낮이로 생각으로 조절할 수 있다. 고주파 음은 "네"를 뜻하고, 저주파 음은 "아니오"를 뜻한다.
각각의 문자를 선택하는데 단 1분이 걸리지 않지만, 문장에 "예", "아니오"로 응답하는 일은 더딘 과정이다.
철자법 도구를 이용해 3일 만에 자신과 아들, 아내의 이름을 철자로 썼다. 그 이후로, 그는 다양한 음식과 도움 등을 요청했다.
그뿐만 아니라, 그는 연구원들에게 뇌 이식의 기회를 주어 감사하다고 말하며, "여러분, 이식 덕분에 수월하게 의사소통 가능해졌네요."라고 말했다.

Photo by Bret Kavanaugh on Unsplash

Brain Implants Help Paralyzed Man Communicate Again

A paralyzed man unable to move even his eyes can now communicate in complete sentences after receiving a brain implant that allows him to select letters with his mind.
The patient, born in 1985, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2015. ALS is a disease that causes people to lose he ability to control their muscles. Over time, a person with ALS may lose the ability to speak, eat, move and even breathe.
By 2017, the patient was paralyzed and was also losing the only way he had left of communicating — eye movement. So, before he completely lost this ability, he agreed to participate in the experiment, using his eye movements for confirmation.
In March 2019, doctors put two small sets of electrodes in the man's motor cortex — a part of the brain that controls physical movement.
The electrodes pick up brain activity in the man's head and send it to software that translates it to a sound that rises and falls. The man can hear this sound and can control its pitch with his thoughts. High-frequency tones mean "yes," and low-frequency tones mean "no."
Responding with "yes" and "no" to letters, which the man also hears through a speaker, is a slow process — with each letter choice taking just over a minute.
However, on the first three days of using the researchers' spelling tool, the man spelled his own, his son's and his wife's names. And since, he's asked for different types of food and for help with his care. He's also asked to drink beer, watch Disney movies with his son and listen to some of his favorite music.
But not only that — he also thanked the researchers for giving him the implant, and told them, "Boys, it works so effortlessly."

courtesy of: https://engoo.co.kr/app/daily-news/article/brain-implants-help-paralyzed-man-communicate-again/iJtL6sABEeyCNy-fHgNXMQ

Brain Implants Help Paralyzed Man Communicate Again | Engoo 데일리뉴스

[영문 요약]
With the help of brain implants, a paralyzed man can now communicate with his family, friends, and so on. A man was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that leads people to lose the ability to control muscles. Before the patient loses his last way to communicate, he agreed to take part in the experiment. Then doctors implanted two small sets of electrodes into his motor cortex, a part of the brain that controls physical movement. The electrodes read the brainwave in the man's head and send it to software that changes it into high-frequency tones, meaning "yes", or low-frequency tones, meaning "no". Those frequencies are what the man can control with his thoughts. Though it takes just over a minute to pick up each letter, it's a slow process to respond with "yes" or "no" to letters. The man managed to spell his, his son's, and his wife's names within the first three days of making use of the spelling device. Since then, he's been able to ask for various different types of food and help with his care, and more. After all, he thanked the researchers and said "Oh man, it totally comes in handy!"