Brain implant improves decision making in monkeys

Brain implant improves decision making in monkeys
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/14/science/lat-sci-sn-brain-implant-improves-decision-making-in-monkey-20120914

The device that was developed by a group of scientists manipulates ongoing brain activity to assist the monkey in making a correct decision versus a wrong choice. By using this in a monkey, it gives hope to brain injured patients that they one day maybe able to perform basic tasks.

            Brain prosthetics in recent years has been overtaken by the efforts of scientists and engineers to restore physical ability. Under recent studies however, the coordination of millions of brain cells are still used in order to have even the simplest of cognitive tasks be performed. Scientists now have capabilities to record activity in order to figure out which region of the brain is responsible for which sort of actions, and in this case, correct decision-making.

            They first succeeded in having the monkey look at a picture and distinguish that image amongst a group of images.  Every time the monkey was correct in its decision it received a reward, and after two years when the monkeys were now fairly skilled, the researchers were able to find out that the pre-frontal cortex was believed to be the area of the brain that contributed to decision making and thought. Scientists began to give the pattern of the monkey’s decision making into the pre-frontal cortex like software, and the monkey’s performance success increased by about ten percent.

            In order to predict whether or not their new device would be successful in humans, they decided to give their monkeys cocaine, which would obviously impair the decision-making. They repeated the experiment by giving the correct answer software to the monkeys at the right moment.  The decision-making was at first impaired due to the cocaine usage but immediately increased again when the stimulator was turned back on.

            The research team thinks that in the future this device could be a prototype to assist people who have had brain injuries and help them perform basic tasks. They believe there is a lot more work to be done, but it could be successful in years to come. 

             

I found this article interesting because of how mysterious the brain is.  There are still many parts of the brain that we are unsure about and how those parts perform their functions like storing memories and knowledge.  I think it is so cool that in future years, those who have had strokes or trauma to the brain might have hope in performing just simple tasks that can make life so much easier for them. I know right now my grandfather has Alzheimer's disease and I know my grandmother would appreciate some help for him being able to do the little things like eating or going to the bathroom.  This type of device provides so much hope and support for families in the future.  It could save on money in the long run for families on stay in nurses and hospital visits. The first step in this device is just decision making, but in the long run and in the near future, it could be created to do so much more than that.