Monitoring intent. Electrodes implanted in the parietal reach region tap into neurons that determine the direction in which a monkey is planning to reach.
ILLUSTRATION: CAMERON SLAYDEN/SCIENCE
一项新研究训练了一些猴子来想一些动作但被节制做这些动作，然后捕获和解释这些猴子的大脑信号，研究人员说，这也许有助于制造出更好的为瘫痪病人用的交流和控制装置。研究人员记录了来自猴子顶骨皮层和前运动皮层中大脑神经元的信号，这些信号编码了抓取动作的目的。研究人员破译了这些信号，并利用这些信息来确定计算机屏幕上一个光标的位置。过去的研究表明，来自编码身体运动指令的神经元的信息可用于控制假器官装置。这项新研究着眼于利用高水平的大脑信号来进行假器官控制。当猴子的抽象思维与要求的动作一致、并且它在思考过程中不行动时，它就会获得一个奖赏。在数周的时间中，猴子的能力提高了。
在收集有关目标的信息的同时，研究人员还记录了猴子的对奖赏的选择。当猴子知道对要求动作进行精确思考会获得它喜爱的奖赏时，它们的光标定位思考会更精确。Richard Andersen指出，瘫痪病人的类似的目标和喜好信息也许同样可以利用。他认为，基于这类研究的未来技术能够让瘫痪病人的目标指导思考和喜好通过聪明机器得以实现。
Cognitive Control Signals for Neural Prosthetics
Recent development of neural prosthetics for assisting paralyzed patients has focused on decoding intended hand trajectories from motor cortical neurons and using this signal to control external devices. In this study, higher level signals related to the goals of movements were decoded from three monkeys and used to position cursors on a computer screen without the animals emitting any behavior. Their performance in this task improved over a period of weeks. Expected value signals related to fluid preference, the expected magnitude, or probability of reward were decoded simultaneously with the intended goal. For neural prosthetic applications, the goal signals can be used to operate computers, robots, and vehicles, whereas the expected value signals can be used to continuously monitor a paralyzed patient's preferences and motivation
