On Wednesday, the U.S. researchers claimed that with the help of a computer-aided device, which takes the help of brain signals to direct movement, monkey with paralyzed wrists got back the movement of the wrist muscles. 

This gives hope to people suffering from paralysis of spines and other parts. 

The findings were reported by Chet Moritz of the University of Washington in Seattle in the journal science, who said, “This was an initial demonstration that this type of technology is possible.”

The device basically functions to provide an artificial route for brain signals to reach paralyzed muscles. By doing so it actually acts like as natural pathway, which might have stopped functioning due to injury. 

The monkeys were implanted with electrodes by the researchers, which observed the brain cells in the motor cortex. This area of the brain functions to control movement. Following this, signals were sent by the electrodes to a computer that was attached to the muscles in the wrist. 

The drugs were injected in the arm muscles of the monkeys by the researchers, who then instructed the animals to play video games with which they were familiar. 

Moritz said, “The monkey's task was to play a very, very simple video game where he had to move his wrist back and forth ... in order to acquire targets that were presented on the screen. The monkey could play this video game before he was paralyzed, so he understood the game.”

He added, “Once he was paralyzed, the only way to move his wrist was to change the activity of individual neurons in his brain, which would then subsequently control the stimulation of his muscles.”

In order to control the motion, only one neuron was needed and the system could be learnt to be used by various different cells in the motor cortex. 

Moritz added, “We found that monkeys can learn very rapidly to control newly isolated neurons in order to stimulate their muscles.”

Moritz explained that though this system can be used in people suffering from paralysis from the neck, it will take several decades for this system to be applied clinically.