Brain-computer interface used to communicate with patients

Patients with advanced forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, meaning they have no control over their body, have finally been able to communicate, with the help of a brain-computer interface.

A study on four patients in Switzerland used the brain-computer interface to read the thoughts of patients to answer basic yes-or-no questions.

In advanced forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the brain loses the ability to control muscles meaning patients are essentially trapped in their own bodies, although they are able to think

Published in PLOS Biology, the results of the research also found that the patients were happy despite the effects of being ‘locked-in’.

The system works by peering inside the brain using light to detect the blood's colour, which changes depending on the activity of brain cells, through a technique called near-infrared spectroscopy.

The system achieved an accuracy of around 75 per cent.

The form of communication is set to be used for practical day-to-day means such as finding out if patients are in pain or want a family visit.

In an interview with the BBC, Prof Ujwal Chaudhary, one of the researchers, said: "It makes a great difference to their quality of life.

"Imagine if you had no means of communicating and then you could say yes or no - it makes a huge impact."