For my current event I read the article “Chip, Implanted in Brain, Helps Paralyzed Man Regain Control of Hand” by Benedict Carey. The article follows the story of Ian Burkhart who five years ago broke his neck diving into the ocean, and permanently lost feeling in his hands and legs. He was able to regain control in his right hand using technology that transmits his thought to his hand bypassing his injured spine. It is the first account of limb reanimation in a quadriplegic. Two years ago a chip was placed in his brain, and doctors have been helping him focus his thoughts to move his hand. This chip can not cure paralysis. Mr. Burkhart is only able to use his hand when connected to a computer in the lab. This instance of limb reanimation is significant because the patient’s hand was no longer directly connected to the brain. To put in the chip in they made a small incision just above the left ear, the chip is the size of an eraser head with 96 microelectrodes. The computer used to decode his thoughts was constantly being recalibrated, since Mr. Burkhart was learning how to move.
The study done in this article could have profound effects on rehabilitating people with partial paralysis. Though the process takes a lot of time, and patients must be in a lab to perform tasks this technology could be a stepping stone for the future. It is interesting that the thoughts used to move the patient’s hand are able to get there even though they bypass the spine.
This article did a good job of telling the story of Ian Burkhart, and his specific rehabilitation. It did not talk much about the significance of the experiment on others, or how this technology could develop. It would have been nice if the author compared this method of reanimation with others currently in practice. The author made the science behind the chip easy to understand by not including too much detail, and explaining it in simple terms.
Carey, Benedict. "Chip, Implanted in Brain, Helps Paralyzed Man Regain Control of Hand." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/14/health/paralysis-limb-reanimation-brain-chip.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&_r=0>.
Allegra, this was a very interesting choice for an article. I really liked how you incorporated the story if Ian Burkhart because it made the discovery seem very personal and showed the importance of this discovery to helping paraplegics regain control of some of their appendages. I think you did a very good job explaining how the chip worked in simple terms. I had no idea that one could bypass the spine to send signals right to the hand...this seems like real life science fiction. I also liked how you described how the chip was implanted into the brain and explained the actual steps of this. Lastly, I think you did a really good job of critiquing the article, because I definitely would have liked more on the benefits of using this chip over the practices that are currently in place (if there are any).
ReplyDeleteI would have liked to have known how exactly the chip bypasses the spine to send signals to the hand. This was the main piece that was missing (it may have not even been in the article) but I can not imagine a mechanism that could do this so I think that this was a crucial piece to understanding the chip. I also would have liked to have had experts quoted (where are they doing this research?) to get a better feel for how they think this will impact people and how they will proceed with testing and modifications to the chip to make it more effective.
For many people who have these type of injuries, the worst thing that doctors have ever told them is “you will never be able to walk again.” Even if this treatment is not a cure for paralysis, a quadriplegic that regains partial use of their hand will free up a world of opportunities of things they can do on their own (brushing teeth, controlling wheelchair, writing).
Allegra,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your review of the article: “Chip, Implanted in Brain, Helps Paralyzed Man Regain Control of Hand" by Benedict Carey. This article is a very good choice because many advancements seem to be coming out in the area of technology removing disabilities. I liked how you included the specific limitations of this technology in that they only were usable in a lab and how long it can take to implement. I also liked how you specifically cited how this new information changed our previous knowledge or treatment of quadriplegics. I also thought you did a very good job at summarizing all of the details in the article and including numerous facts and statistics making your review more detailed, and credible. This review was overall very well written and thought out and I thought you did a good job at displaying your thoughts in a descriptive yet concise manner.
I felt that the primary problem with your review was in your summary. It was simply too short and lacked any detail other than the basics. The inclusion of quotes or other specific information could have helped with this along with providing more interesting facts you found or information that made the article interesting. Specifically in your description of the chip implanted. I feel like you could have provided more to the reader. You had many good points but I feel like your relevance paragraph was also weak. You claim the author didn't include much about the relevance of the technology but what do you think some relevance ideas could be?
Overall I really enjoyed reading your review and was especially interested by this topic because I think it is cool that we can bypass the spine and create an almost artificial nervous system. I also find it interesting that we have computers that can interpret signals from the brain such as “lift index finger” and translate it into something that activates a muscle.
Allegra, I really enjoyed reading your piece on the work scientists have done to help quadriplegics. There is such amazing research being done these days as our knowledge of the human body expands. One of the things you did well in your review was the introduction sentences. You introduced the piece in a way that was clear and interesting without being too elaborate, getting right into the grit of the article. In addition, your article was brief and to the point, while remaining informative. Lastly, I thought you chose a really gripping topic, because it applies to a tragic possibility that we all might face in the case of a horrible accident: becoming paralyzed.
ReplyDeleteIf you were to go back and make some edits on your critique, I would recommend that you provide some more detail on the importance of this new study, given the profound impact a discovery like this could have on all paralyzed people. However, you did mention in your last paragraph that the article itself also did not expand on the possible impact the chip could have on others, so this may not be possible given the limitations of the article you chose. I also recommend that you place some quotes from the article in your critique, just to give your readers the element of detail and specificity. By making these improvements, your critique could improve greatly.
Reading your article reminded me of an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy,” where two of the doctors create a research project that involved inserting a chip, similar to the one the article mentioned, in the brains of paraplegics that enabled them to use their thoughts to control a robotic machine, allowing it to move for them. As a result, your article taught me that my favorite show is actually based off of real medical events.
Sources:
article : Carey, Benedict. "Chip, Implanted in Brain, Helps Paralyzed Man Regain Control of Hand." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. .
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