Promoting unhampered transmission of thought

Researchers have managed to make a monkey move a cursor on a computer screen by the power of thought. It is thought that such technology could enable totally paralysed patients to operate robotic devices such as a robotic arm, or a computer. The researcher first looked at MRI scans of the brain to determine which sections of a part of the monkey's brain called the posterior parietal cortex were responsible for certain body movements, they then implanted electrodes into the area. After analysing the monkey's brain as it touched dots on a touch-sensitive computer screen, the researchers then trained the monkey to think about a movement without touching the screen. By hooking a computer that interpreted the monkey's thoughts up to the implanted electrodes, the monkey was then able to move the cursor, simply by thinking about it.