WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) - A Nauguatuck stroke victim who is almost entirely paralyzed has ended his participation in a study designed to determine if a brain implant could translate thoughts into movement.
Bob Veillette, a former managing editor of the Republican-American newspaper, was among seven people in the world with the implant when it was installed in 2011, five years after a stroke severed communication between his brain and spine.
For a time he was able to use the implant to get a robotic arm to grasp objects. But the newspaper reports (https://bit.ly/1i0eBRw ) Veillette’s communication abilities have eroded over the past year, and he recently had the implant removed.
Dr. Leigh Hochberg, a neuroengineer on the project, confirmed that Veillette’s participation had ended, but stressed that researchers had learned much from him.
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Information from: Republican-American, https://www.rep-am.com
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