Implants and other technologies that decipher neural activity can help individuals regain their capacity to move and communicate, while also aiding researchers in unraveling the mysteries of the brain, as reported by Nature.

According to The Iran Project,Moving an artificial arm. Controlling a talking avatar. Typing quickly. These are all skills that individuals with paralysis have mastered by utilizing brain-computer interfaces BCIs – implanted devices that are activated solely through thoughts.

These devices use multiple electrodes implanted in the brain to record neural activity. A decoder system interprets the signals and converts them into commands.

The primary goal of this work is to assist individuals with paralysis in regaining functionality, while also providing researchers with a valuable tool for studying the organization of the human brain in more detail than many other methods can offer.

Scientists have utilized these chances to gain some fundamental insights about the brain. Results are challenging previous assumptions about brain anatomy, showing that regions may have more ambiguous boundaries and roles than previously believed.

Such research is also assisting scientists in understanding the impact of BCIs on the brain and, importantly, how to enhance the devices.