People usually don't have to think about reaching their hand up to scratch their nose, or moving their legs as they walk, but those of us who can do this are very privileged. There are many people who suffer from paralysis, which can range from minor, such as not being able to move a finger, to not having control over anything below the neck. Thanks to recent discoveries though, scientists think that they may have discovered a way to restore muscle control to patients. Using neural implants and electrodes connected to muscles, the chip can read brain signals and then send electrical pulses to the muscles through the electrodes, imitating the neural system. The results are there to back it up as well. A test performed by neurological scientist Grégoire Courtine on a monkey with paralysis of its right leg showed that the system worked. After the chip was implanted and the electrodes connected, the monkey was able to flex its leg and even walk. In another experiment, a man that had no control below his shoulders was given full control over one of his arms after the chip was connected to his brain. This type of technology has been used in other areas as well, such as curing deafness. There is even hope to cure blindness with this technology, and even returning lost memories for people with Alzheimer's disease. This is the first time that scientists have looked to cure paralysis with this technology though, and the results so far are extremely promising. Hopefully, in the near future, paralysis will be an ailment of a world long forgotten.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603492/10-breakthrough-technologies-2017-reversing-paralysis/
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