Brain training by VR brings back patient a sense of unreliefing "sense" again and takes a step to recovery

Research is being carried out to read the brain waves of persons with disabilities who have lost their physical abilities and send orders to powered suits and the like to assist functions. For machine control training by electroencephalogramVR (virtual reality)In addition to learning machine control, not only can we learn machine control, but also regains the feeling of the body part that has stopped moving, and the example that the function itself which was thought to be irretrievable was recovered has been reported.

Brain training with exoskeleton and VR spurs recovery for paraplegics | Ars Technica
http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/08/brain-training-with-exoskeleton-and-vr-spurs-recovery-for-paraplegics/

A research team of Dr. Miguel Nicorellis of Duke University in the USA asked eight patients who failed in the lower part of the body due to spinal cord injuries to train brain waves using a VR headset . The original purpose of this research was to use walking waves to operate the powered suit worn by the patient by using EEG.


This training was successful and among the eight people it was successful, such as subjects who could support themselves appearing, although they needed support after 10 months from the beginning of training. You can check the state of a man walking while controlling a powered suit with brain waves while having obstacles such as inferior lower body trouble with the following movie.

Movie 7 P2 EXO - YouTube


The results of VR training were excellent, and subjects who could send orders to powered suits and be able to use hands and feet appeared. Furthermore, not only did he use the powered suit but a subject who succeeded in moving his foot again again appeared.


You can check the state of the woman who succeeded in moving her leg that became unrelated to the lower half with the following movie.

Movie 3 P1 steps - YouTube


Seven months after the start of the experiment, signs that the patient's nervous system actually recovered by training were beginning to appear. Previously it was thought that the symptoms of lower paralysis caused by spinal cord injury never recovered, but research reports that the nervous system itself remains in up to 80% of patients even after being unrelated to the lower half There is a possibility that there is the possibility of having the effect of restoring the nervous system by brain training using VR.

By the way, all the 8 patients who participated in the experiment succeeded in using powered suit and started to regain the feeling of their lower body which stopped moving.